On Friday, Fox News broadcast—on live TV—a man as he fatally shot himself in the head following a low-speed carjacking chase that started in Phoenix and ended about 90 minutes later near the California border.
Fox News had been covering the chase that began about noon with the help of a live helicopter shot from Phoenix affiliate KSAZ-TV.
Following the chase, the man ran off into the desert, looking disoriented, and then put a gun up to his head and fired.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and has not yet been identified, according to various news reports.
Find out what's happening in South Orangefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Fox News anchor Shepard Smith told viewers that the video was supposed to be on a five-second delay so it could be cut off from airing if anything went wrong.
After a commercial break, Smith addressed what happened, saying that the network had “some explaining to do” :
Find out what's happening in South Orangefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
When the guy pulled over and got out of the vehicle, we were on delay . . . [so] we would see in the studio what was happening and we’d be able to cut away from it without subjecting you to it. We took every precaution. . . . I personally apologize to you that that happened. It’s not time-appropriate, it’s insensitive, it was just wrong and that won’t happen again on my watch.
What do you think Montclair? Is there any more that Fox should do besides apologize? Let us know in the comments section below.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.