Instagram User Defends Photo of Injured NYC Victim

Critics didn't like his joke-y caption
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 24, 2012 3:30 PM CDT
Instagram User Defends Photo of Injured NYC Victim
This photo was posted to an Instagram account belonging to a person identified as mr_mookie, an eyewitness at the scene.   (AP Photo/mr_mookie via Instagram)

One of the more widely used images from today's shooting spree near the Empire State Building shows a wounded man on the street being being tended to by a woman. Turns out it was shot by local photographer Muhammad Malik, who immediately uploaded it to Instagram with this not-so-sensitive caption, a play off of lyrics by Nas: "They shoot, aw made you look! No really tho. Dude got popped!" That drew plenty of online criticism, as did his Facebook boasts (complete with hashtag #chaching) about cashing in on the photo.

"Let's be clear everyone, I didn't shoot anyone, I just took a photo, don't hate me, hate the actions that caused me to get a picture like that," he wrote in response. "It's cameras that allow all of us to see what's going on in parts that we would never venture into or otherwise wouldn't think twice about." When Daily Intel caught up with him, a "more subdued" Malik said he would "probably not" make any money from the image. "I don't think it was insensitive," he said. "It's New York, I just took a photo." As for that caption, "it was just a comment." (More Muhammad Malik stories.)

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