(Newser)
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Fox News aired a live car chase in Phoenix today that ended with a man fatally shooting himself before the network could cut off its feed, the New York Times' Media Decoder blog reports. Anchor Shepard Smith gave moment-by-moment commentary as the carjacking suspect eluded police, jumped from his car, and ran erratically through a field. "Looks like he’s a little disoriented or something," Smith said before the man pulled out a gun.
When the man pulled the trigger, Smith told his off-screen producers, "Get off, get off, get off, get off it"—but the footage had already aired. After commercial, Smith apologized to viewers and said his crew failed to cut away despite having a five-second delay for that very purpose. "We really messed up," he said. "And we're all very sorry. That didn't belong on TV." Police said the man was declared dead at the scene, reports AP. Mediaite has the video here, but be warned, it's graphic.
