‘Hope he died’: Why is Kansas City man who was shot on live video being ridiculed online?
When Dishon “DJ” Lee was shot five times in Kansas City, the altercation and the agonizing aftermath were broadcast on Facebook Live.
And while DJ fought for his life, vultures searching for online clicks and attention on social media swarmed, circulating the footage and even ridiculing him.
The video, which shows a brief but heated exchange between DJ and the suspected 17-year-old gunman, is disturbing. A volley of shots rings out, followed by DJ’s searing screams.
“You shot me on Live, bro,” DJ says. “You shot me on Live.”
On the video, an unidentified woman cries and urges DJ, “Please, be still.” He yells out, “Call my (expletive) mama.”
Incredibly, the 30-year-old father of five survived, but he remains in critical condition. Meantime, video from the Oct. 15 incident has gone viral, and plenty of critics have seen fit to deride DJ.
“Kansas City Man SHOT On IG Live: Was ‘Bumping His Gums’... Now in ICU!!” reads the headline on the YouTube channel of hip hop icon Willie D, who was a member of the Geto Boys, an influential rap group from Houston.
“We’ve got another one,” the rapper says to the camera. “When keeping it real goes wrong. Bumping his gums. Running his mouth. Got downed.”
Commenters chimed in with thoughts, of course, most of them unsympathetic.
DJ’s mother, La’Shawnda Lee, called the unsolicited commentary inaccurate and demeaning.
Lee said her son had intervened in an argument between his live-in girlfriend and her half-brother. DJ was trying to escape a volatile situation, his mother said, but his car wouldn’t start, stranding him at the scene on East 93rd Street.
DJ was armed, according to Lee, but never brandished the weapon before he was shot. On the video, it appears the gunman has his hand on something near his waistband just moments before shots were fired.
The video itself is chilling. The disrespect that has followed is unfathomable.
The World Star Hip Hop website, which generates millions of video views by publishing footage of violent fights and other shocking encounters, touted this incident with the headline: “Got Caught Lackin: Kansas City Man Gets Shot While He’s On Live!” Lackin’ is slang for being caught without a firearm.
Hundreds of critical comments followed.
“He deserved it,” one commenter wrote.
“Hope he died,” another said.
‘Can’t say that Black lives matter’
La’Shawnda Lee, who is an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, said that culture vultures using her son’s shooting to generate video views online and gain clout on social media are a discredit to the Black community.
“You can’t say that Black lives matter, but laughing and joking at a Black man being shot on video,” Lee said. “You cannot.”
It shouldn’t have to be said that no victim of gun violence deserves to be ridiculed.
DJ hasn’t been accused of a crime. Police have not said he was suspected of threatening anyone.
So, why the online attacks? And why is the video still in circulation?
Multiple requests to YouTube and Facebook to remove the video have been ignored, Lee said. Willie D, the rapper, did not respond to a request for comment.
Lee remains hopeful that DJ will recover. Another son, now 21, was shot years ago and lost an eye. He was initially in worse shape than DJ, she said.
DJ has had multiple surgeries to remove his spleen and a kidney. His intestines, ribs and pelvic bone were injured. Bullets remain lodged in his arm and back.
Kansas City police detectives have identified a person of interest, but the shooter is not in custody.
“The case is still active and detectives are still working to determine what led up to the shooting,” a police spokeswoman said.
The video of DJ Lee being shot five times and the mocking responses that followed highlight how much work remains to be done to combat gun violence in communities that have endured what begins to feel like ceaseless bloodshed.
Nationwide, Black Americans die as a result of gun violence at nearly 10 times the rate of their white counterparts; are 15 times more likely to be surviving shooting victims; and were three times more likely to be fatally shot by police, according to Everytown For Gun Safety research.
In Kansas City, of the 161 homicides reported through Thursday, three-fourths of the victims were Black. Guns were used in all but 20 of the deaths, according to police.
Ain’t a damn thing funny about that.
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
