Korean AfreecaTV BJ Unintentionally Captures The Mass-Shooting In Bangkok While Livestreaming

Recently, a mass shooting took place in Bangkok, Thailand, shocking many people. A Korean AfreecaTV broadcaster (BJ) drew attention for capturing the moment in real time while live streaming.

On October 3, gunshots were heard at Siam Paragon Mall, a luxury center in Bangkok, around 4:20 p.m. local time. It was reported that two people lost their lives and five were injured during the shooting. Recorded footage from the moment showed many people running away from the gunshot sounds and finding a place to hide or exit.

ฟังเสียงปืนนะคะ ยิงกันในห้างจนออกมาข้างนอกวิ่งแทบจะทับกันเพราะไม่รู้เลยเดินไปทางไหนกันบ้าง #พารากอน pic.twitter.com/hfmzwYYCBn

— หน่องเจน (@janejanejuta) October 3, 2023

AfreecaTV BJ BARBIEJINI was in the middle of a live broadcast when the shooting occurred. After ordering her meal, she was interacting with fans at the food court. Suddenly, as she sipped her soda, gunshots were heard, and BARBIEJINI started running after seeing other people run.

Although she wasn’t sure what was happening then, she screamed and ran to the mall’s exit, and many people were seen running behind her. BARBIEJINI left the live broadcast on the whole time, and concerned viewers asked what was happening.

BARBIEJINI eventually exited the mall, and she stopped to catch her breath after making sure she was a safe distance away. She asked a nearby passerby what was happening, but the person said they didn’t know. Suddenly, she started running away after seeing more people running out of the mall.

After more running, BARBIEJINI eventually stopped running and explained what had happened. She explained that she first thought it was a prank until she saw a mother abandoning her baby stroller to run away.

Look, everyone is evacuating because of the gun. I was so surprised because I heard the gunshots and wondered, ‘Huh? What’s that?’ And then about 15 people started dashing out of the small food court, and for a moment, I thought, ‘Is this a prank? Oh, no it’s not.’ There was a mother abandoning away her stroller and sprinting, and I realized this was not a joke, so I grabbed all my belongings and left.

— BARBIEJINI

With trembling hands, she exclaimed how dangerous this situation could have been if she didn’t react quickly.

If I had been a little bit late, I could have been in big trouble.

— BARBIEJINI

She also sympathized with the employees who work there because “they weren’t able to run away.” She continued to livestream as she made her way to her hotel.

Viewers of the live broadcast left comments in real time, encouraging her to catch her breath and calm down.

• “Breathe”
• “Save JINI”
• “I think you need to catch your breathㅠㅠ Calm down”
• “It’s going to be okay!!”
• “First, catch your breath”
• “I’m shocked!”
• “Now that you’re far away, let’s take a breath”
• “What happened??”
• “You’re far away, so you’re okay!”
• “There was a gun” 
• “She ran away because there was a gunshot noise in the mall”
• “Oh no ㅠㅠ”
• “There are Korean people behind you lol”
• “I hear familiar Korean all the way in Thailand”
• “Let’s go far away first”

It was reported that the suspect responsible for the shooting was a 14-year-old boy. He was captured at the Siam Kempinski Hotel around 50 minutes after the shooting is said to have begun.