Seattle Police Update Public On Controversial Shooting Via Twitch Stream of Destiny

In what is arguably the most surreal story of the year--no small feat for 2017--the Seattle Police Department yesterday delivered updates on their controversial killing of Charleena Lyles via a Twitch stream of the popular MMO Destiny.

On Sunday, two Seattle Police Department officers shot and killed Charleena Lyles. Lyles had called the police to report a burglary, but when the officers arrived, she pulled out two knives. Lyles had a history of mental illness, which the police department knew before heading into the situation. However, they did not bring a taser with them to her house to resolve the situation non-lethally. The incident generated national controversy for how the officers handled the situation. To address this, Sgt. Sean Whitcomb of the Seattle Police Department took to Twitch.

The Seattle Police Department has a Twitch account through which they discuss things like graffiti removal and investigation procedures. It's interesting stuff if you're into that sort of thing, but hardly the place to address the loss of a human life. Yet that's precisely what Sgt. Sean Whitcomb did.

"This episode is going to be a little on the heavier side," says Whitcomb (aka Vesper Bat) at the start of his video before discussing the events leading up to the shooting, the shooting itself, and the criticism of the officers involved. All the while, he's wandering around in Destiny. "Tragically, we know that three of her children were present with her," says Whitcomb while viewers can observe Mr_Kitty95 waving to tony323_.

The stream left Twitter users flabbergasted:

@SeattlePD #Fuzzfeed206 HAVE YOU ALL LOST YOUR DAMN MINDS DO U HAVE ANY FUCKIN REMORSE?#CharleenaLyles murder is reduced to video game chat! https://t.co/ZR1zbPMaU7

— SarahConnor (@LisaHarris8601) June 22, 2017

Are you serious? How tone deaf is this?

— Aaron Donogh (@AaronDonogh) June 22, 2017

"It would’ve been inexcusable not to move forward with a broadcast considering we’re dealing with one of the most difficult incidents in recent years," Whitcomb told Seattle-based paper The Stranger. "The content provides a very straightforward update in regards to where the investigation is at." Whitcomb also added that the entire department was "suffering" after the incident.

The video has since been removed from Twitch and YouTube, though mirrors still exist online. 2017 remains the weirdest timeline.