Tom Barnes – The Independent
A French TV channel has apologised for playing the Bob Marley hit “I Shot the Sheriff” during its coverage of the news police had killed Strasbourg Christmas market attack suspect Cherif Chekkat – as a fourth victim of the shooting died in hospital.
Rolling news channel BFM TV used the song as it aired a special programme reporting Chekkat had been fatally shot by officers after an exchange in the city’s Neudorf neighbourhood late on Thursday.
The 29-year-old had been at large since Tuesday evening, when he is thought to have opened fire at a popular market, killing four people and seriously injuring several others.
During BFM TV’s broadcast, the channel screened footage from the area where counter terror police had killed Chekkat, before the reggae classic began playing.
The channel blamed the incident on human error and apologised on Friday.
“The technical team in charge of sound recognises it was behind this serious incident and says human error was to blame,” BFM said in a statement.
Some viewers had taken to social media during the programme to suggest they were unimpressed with the unfortunate song choice.
“BFM just broadcast ‘I shot the sheriff’ live on air. They’ve lost it!” one commentator remarked.
Another tweeted: “I’m not sure Bob Marley’s I Shot the Sheriff is the best choice of music by BFM tonight.”
Other users mocked the channel’s decision using the hashtag “#ChoisisUneMusiqueCommeBFM”, or “choose music like BFM”, offering humorous suggestions for songs that could be played during coverage of various other stories.
Paris prosecutors announced on Friday a fourth victim of the attack had died in hospital following several days in a critical condition.
Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte named the man as Antonio Megallizzi, a 29-year-old Italian journalist who had been hospitalised in a grave condition in the first hours after the attack.
“Deep sorrow for the death of Antonio Megalizzi, a young man with great passion for journalism, or radio, for investigations and for European institutions,” Mr Conte tweeted.
Authorities have so far named only one other victim – Anupong Suebsamarn, a 45-year-old tourist who had been visiting France from Thailand.
Strasbourg mayor Roland Ries also said another of those who died is a local man thought to be in his 60s.
Investigators are now trying to establish whether Chekkat acted alone or had help from accomplices while he was on the run, and have taken seven people into custody, including four of the suspected gunman’s immediate family.
