Man who livestreamed Colorado shooting draws criticism
A man who livestreamed the shooting scene at a Boulder, Colo., supermarket Monday afternoon drew sharp criticism from some and praise from others for his actions.
Ten people, including a Boulder police officer, were killed in the attack at the King Soopers grocery store, police said. A suspect is in custody.
Dean Schiller was using his cellphone to record police activity during the active-shooter situation for the YouTube channel of ZFG Videography.
Schiller, whose feed drew more than 30,000 viewers as the scene played out, seemed to be inside an active crime scene and apparently walked by victims. At one point, he filmed a man handcuffed in police custody who was wearing only underwear and appeared to have blood on his leg.
Schiller repeatedly identified himself as a journalist. He was eventually removed from the area, and promptly interviewed by television reporters and other media representatives.
Social media lit up with criticism of the feed, because Schiller appeared to walk by victims without giving aid. He was also criticized for revealing tactical police information that might have been seen by suspects during the unfolding crisis. Authorities asked media outlets not to reveal tactical information.
A shooting at a Colorado supermarket Monday killed 10 people, including a police officer, and a suspect was in custody, authorities said.
Schiller and Jedon Kerr, who describe themselves as citizen journalists, sued the city of Boulder in 2019 after they were arrested and jailed — but never charged — for filming in and around the Boulder County Jail. Their attorney in that lawsuit did not immediately return an email seeking comment about Monday’s events.
The Denver independent weekly newspaper Westword wrote a story about the lawsuit in June 2019 in which it described Schiller as a personal trainer and a police watchdog.
“It was extremely important, though, that we not break any laws or obstruct officers from doing their jobs,” he was quoted as saying.
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