A Bahamian whistleblower who had uncovered alleged corruption from a top police official in the Caribbean country was shot during a Facebook Live stream inside his Florida apartment on Monday.
Sylvens Metayer was an hour and 20 minutes into his social media broadcast, complaining about living situations in the US, when a barrage of bullets flew through the Hollywood, Fla. home, according to NBC Miami.
At least seven shots rang out in the video as Metayer dropped to the ground and was seemingly struck.
“I got shot in the face, right here,” Metayer said after he grabbed his phone and moved to a different room. “Hey, y’all sending a hit out on me.”
A baby can be heard crying in the background as the man’s girlfriend talks to a 911 dispatcher saying Metayer was shot and they needed an ambulance.
Metayer showed off the wound to his left cheek and the blood stains on his shorts.
“They got me bro,” he says before first responders arrived.
“It looks like he got grazed in the face, shot in the foot and looks like maybe he got grazed in the back too,” one officer can be heard saying.
Metayer is known in the Bahamas for his Facebook account, which provides commentary on conspiracy theories and allegations concerning the island nation.
He recently spoke out against Royal Bahamas Police Force Chief Superintendent Michael Johnson who allegedly negotiated bribes with a wanted criminal, according to the Miami Herald.
Metayer had released the alleged voice notes of Johnson, causing public distrust in the police force, the Nassau Guardian reported.
The recordings involve a man, believed to be the wanted suspect, talking with two others negotiating about turning himself in and the cost for him to be released after being questioned, according to the outlet.
An investigation was opened on Johnson’s alleged corruption by the Security and Intelligence Branch of the RBPF which placed Johnson on paid leave.
“We have heard the recordings of phone calls on social media recordings and the investigation is already underway to determine the reliability; to understand when, where, and by whom they were made; identify all voices; and explore clues in the surrounding sounds,” Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said, according to the outlet.
“We understand fully that this case affects public trust … and confidence within the Royal Bahamas Police Force,” Fernander said.
Fernander assured the probe would be “independent, impartial and fair,” and the case would “not disappear out the backdoor.”
It was not made clear how Metayer got a hold of the voice notes, but the shooting took place hours after Fernander announced the investigation.
Law enforcement agencies from the US and UK are assisting the SIB with the investigation, the newspaper said.
Metayer told first responders he was live streaming when the bullets came crashing through.
“The FBI know I’m here, I got issue with the Bahamian government, I made the newspaper today so they probably sent somebody to kill me,” he says.
Metayer was eventually helped off the ground and brought to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries, leaving the camera on and the live stream to continue for another hour.
Investigators have not revealed a motive or any suspects in relation to the shooting, NBC Miami reported.