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Twitch & Discord issue statements on livestreamed Buffalo shooting

Both Twitch and Discord were utilized in a white supremacist gunman's rampage at a Buffalo supermarket.

TJ Denzer

May 16, 2022 11:55 AM

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Tragedy struck this last weekend when an 18-year-old gunman entered the Tops Friendly Market and opened fire, killing 10 people and wounding three more. What’s more nefarious is that the shooter livestreamed their killing spree via Twitch and used Discord to share heinously racist ideology. Following the terrible events, Twitch and Discord has officially issued a statement on the matter. Twitch has moved to ban the user, as well as banning the video footage from the platform and will be monitoring and removing any re-uploads or restreams of the footage.

Twitch issued its official statement on the tragedy in Bufallo in a communication with the Hollywood Reporter on May 16, 2022.

“We are devastated to hear about the shooting that took place this afternoon in Buffalo, New York,” Twitch’s statement reads. “Our hearts go out to the community impacted by this tragedy. Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against violence of any kind and works swiftly to respond to all incidents. The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content.”

The shooter also allegedly posted a 180-page document on various online forums, including 4chan and a private Discord chat room, which detailed their racist and anti-Semitic reasoning for the violent act. With that in mind, Discord also shared a statement on the incident.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families, and we will do everything we can to assist law enforcement in the investigation,” Discord’s statement said.

The shooter was taken into custody by the police on May 14, 2022 following the incident and both Twitch and Discord have been cooperating with law enforcement on the matter since. While both have worked to police their platforms and claim to have been quickly responsive in attempting to circumvent further issues, this weekend was a stark reminder of what these technologies and platforms can be used for if left unattended.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.