Gang member streams own shooting live on Facebook

A US gang member is fighting for life after purportedly being shot while streaming a video of himself live on Facebook.

The video, which was taken on Thursday, shows a man in a blue Chicago White Sox hat talking into the camera while standing in front of a convenience store in Chicago's West Englewood neighbourhood. He jokes that the store is open because he needs "somewhere to duck and hide for cover."

Moments later, gun shots ring out and the phone drops to the street, camera up.

Another man, wearing red, then steps into the frame and continues firing the gun.

A woman can be heard screaming, "Oh my God, no! I can’t believe this."

Some have questioned the video's authenticity given that it surfaced on April Fool's Day.

But Chicago Police are treating it as genuine.

A police spokesman told Mashable a 31-year-old man was shot on Thursday at the location seen in the video and transported to hospital in a critical condition.

The victim is believed to be a known gang member.

The suspected shooter remains at large.

If proven to be real, the shooting would be the first known incident of a violent crime being streamed on Facebook Live, a component of the website that creator Mark Zuckerbeg is "obsessed" with, according to Mashable.