Shocking: Man Murdered After He Reacted To Facebook Post With Laughing Emoji

A war of words on social media has ended in tragedy in rural Missouri, US, after a young man was shot and killed, and a young woman was left with life-threatening injuries. 18-year-old Isiah Craig Fitzgerald lost his life after reacting to a Facebook profile photo with a laughter emoji. Tanner Watkins (20) and Kaleb Ramsey (18), have been arrested and charged with murder, assault, and other offences. According to National Post, the altercation escalated when the victims agreed to meet at a park to fight and shots were fired from both vehicles, resulting in Fitzgerald’s death and the woman’s critical injuries.

The incident happened after Watkins posted a profile picture of himself and his girlfriend on Facebook. Fitzgerald reacted to it by posting a laughing emoji. This triggered an aggressive response from Watkins, resulting in a heated exchange that ultimately led to the fatal confrontation in the park.

Chief Jim McMillen of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety said that rifles and pistols were used in the shooting. Responding to the gunfire, police stopped vehicles leaving the park, arrested Watkins and Ramsey and confiscated their weapons.

“We had a couple different rifles that were used in this, a few pistols as well,” McMillen said. He went on to add, “Vehicles leaving, they got those vehicles stopped, addressed the people inside, there were some that were injured and struck by gunfire. It’s unusual to have a type of incident like this in this location, so obviously people were very concerned,” he added. Police say guns have been taken for evidence.

The incident shocked the small Missouri community as well as people worldwide and prompted an outpouring of grief on social media. Many have expressed disbelief that a seemingly trivial social media exchange could lead to such violence. “Well, it’s a tragic reminder of how fragile our egos can be. Laughter should never be a reason for violence. Let’s hope justice is served for the victim and their loved ones,” wrote a user.

Another tweet read, “If anyone ever needed a raw definition of relationship insecurity this is it.”

“This uncontrollable rage happened to me too once over Facebook, when I angry-reacted a random person’s profile picture. Luckily, it didn’t escalate like this…” another user tweeted.

National Post also reported that according to legal records obtained by KVFS, a rifle resembling an AK-47 was utilized to shoot multiple rounds toward a Chevy Malibu.

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