A 'CARING' man live-streamed his own death on Facebook as stricken friends watched.
Distressing footage of Ronnie McNutt's suicide has gone viral on social media after the 33-year-old killed himself at home.
Now social media sites including TikTok are scrambling to remove the clip, which has been widely shared by users.
Friends have spoken of their horror after Mr McNutt's tragic death.
One said: “Please say a prayer right now for the family of Ronnie McNutt.
"He just killed himself live on Facebook and I cannot unsee this.
"I tried but apparently it wasn’t quick enough to reach him.
"I wasn’t quick enough.
"Dear God, I wish I could have got to him.”
Mr McNutt, a former Army veteran who served in Iraq, died in Mississippi on August 31.
But social media sites are still scrambling to remove clips of the incident more than a week on.
Bosses at TikTok are banning anyone who re-uploads it.
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ON AVERAGE, 123 people a day die by suicide in America.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
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That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
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If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI)
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There are reports that the video appeared on TikTok's 'For You' trending homepage.
That means it could have been viewed by millions of people.
Many horrified app users say they saw the footage unintentionally, and have warned others to be wary.
Those who have seen the shocking video have urged other TikTok users not to click on a thumbnail of a bearded man with glasses speaking to someone on a phone, the Daily Star reports.
One Twitter user said: "If you see this guy on your For You page, please scroll up immediately.
"It's very gruesome and I highly suggest you stay away from TikTok for a while."
Another said they'd been left "shaking" after watching the "very terrifying and gory" video.
A TikTok spokesperson said: "On Sunday night, clips of a suicide that had been livestreamed on Facebook circulated on other platforms, including TikTok.
"Our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide.
"We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who've reported content and warned others against watching, engaging, or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family.
"If anyone in our community is struggling with thoughts of suicide or concerned about someone who is, we encourage them to seek support, and we provide access to hotlines directly from our app and in our Safety Centre."
Mr McNutt worked for Toyota in Blue Springs, New Albany.
There are unconfirmed reports that he had lost his job and broken up with his girlfriend before his suicide.
He was a member of Celebration Church Tupelo, which confirmed his death in a post on its Facebook page on September 1.
"In the midst of a sudden tragedy that occurred last night, we grieve with the McNutt Family during this time because passing of our brother in Christ, Ronnie McNutt," church leaders said.
"Ronnie will be missed by all who loved and knew him.
"He was very caring, committed, loyal, dependable, and eccentric. He served his church faithfully and was loved by many.
"Although events surrounding his death were tragic, we take comfort in our Creator, believing that because of Ronnie's confession and conversion as a believer in Christ Jesus, he is currently before our loving Father."
- The Samaritans is available 24/7 via helpline 1 (800) 273-TALK. For more information, visit samaritansusa.org
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