Warning: This post contains discussion of suicide.
Popular streamer Etika made several comments on Twitter about killing himself, and his fans are worried about his safety.
The streamer who has previously been banned on YouTube and Twitch has threatened suicide online before, and late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, he tweeted multiple times about ending his life to his Twitter following of more than 300,000.
Savonarola! I'm going to kill myself! You lot certainly have already. Shame on you all, silly humans.
— Etika @ 999 (@Etika) April 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/Etika/status/1118078283088891904
In his most alarming tweet, he wrote, “I am about to shoot myself in the forehead, with a pistol I purchased from a gun shop in long island. Bury me in [Brooklyn].” Etika, whose real name is Daniel Desmond Amofah, has not tweeted since then.
But as noted by Dexerto, Etika’s friend, streamer Alice Pika, tweeted that police had arrived to take Etika to the hospital. Before that happened, she expressed concern that he wanted her to leave his home because “he told me he’s expecting people to show up at his house and it might not be safe with me there.”
He's being sent to the hospital, I'm not saying where. He's physically UNHARMED. I'm letting his loved ones know. Pray for him.
— Alice Pika 🇵🇷 (@TheAlicePika) April 16, 2019
I never once saw a gun nor did he ever mention one to me. But I also wasn't going through his belongings.
— Alice Pika 🇵🇷 (@TheAlicePika) April 16, 2019
The police restrained him very quickly so it seems like they also didn't see one. I did hear him screaming from his window, so he was resisting.
Idk how much more I can say https://t.co/kHp8WnEqkp
Later, Pika wrote, “I’m afraid to share publicly just how disturbing things got. I’ll share that I cried like 3 times to him yesterday, begging him to stop talking. At first he called me stupid for crying but when he realized I was actually upset, he begged me to forgive him. Thank you to all of his supporters. Please don’t leave this conversation. Mental Health is critical. Don’t bury your feelings. Look after your friends. Have compassion. Forgive yourself and others who hurt you. Heal from your past by confronting it. Trust those that love you.”
After Etika’s initial tweets, other well-known streamers immediately reached out in support.
Mate, it’s seriously not funny anymore. Please get help.
— Joey Bizinger (@TheAn1meMan) April 16, 2019
Please dont man. If this Is really you, trust me people love u and you're an asset to this world
— Ice_Poseidon (@REALIcePoseidon) April 16, 2019
Multiple commenters asked him to please stop joking around, but others were far more concerned.
Wrote one tweeter, “Please be safe homie, if you’re ACTUALLY having suicidal thoughts please reach out to someone in your life.” Another wrote, “Etika please stop and seek help we’re all really concerned. You did this last time and we were all worried. This has gone too far. Please seek some help.”
Etika was banned from Twitch last year after using a homophobic slur on a live stream, and he’s been permanently barred from YouTube. Last October, he wrote on Reddit, “And now, it’s my turn to die. I love you all. Keep fighting for me, ok? “
And now, it’s my turn to die. I love you all. Keep fighting for me, ok? I’ll miss yall :* make the world better for your own kids, and REMEMBER TO STARGAZE. These last 6 years have been an HONOR.
byu/EtikaWorldNetwork inEtikaRedditNetwork
He later returned to Reddit to write, “Guys I’m fine, please stop worrying about me LOL. You know I like to be overdramatic. Carry on!!”
Before calling the police on Tuesday morning, Pika wrote that Etika was “getting increasingly disturbing and violent.”
READ MORE:
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- Twitch user banned after telling woman to ‘kill yourself’ during stream
For more information about suicide prevention or to speak with someone confidentially, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (U.S.) or Samaritans (U.K.).