KEY POINTS

  • Carl Riemer brandished his handgun while reportedly drunk on stream and believed the gun was unloaded
  • Twitch responded by suspending Riemer's account, but didn't comment if it was permanent or temporary
  • Soar Gaming followed up by saying it had dropped Riemer from the organization 

Twitch said Friday it had suspended a popular “Call of Duty” streamer and member of esports organization SoaR Gaming after he took out a handgun and fired it during a stream around his monitor.

Carl Riemer, known as "SoaRCarl" on Twitch, was livestreaming Tuesday when the incident occurred. He reportedly had been drinking on the stream when he started brandishing what he said he thought was an unloaded handgun. Riemer then pulled the trigger, firing at a cup off camera, visibly startling.

“I swear to God I just emptied the mag,” Riemer said after putting the gun down.

While gunshot caused some damage, no one was reported hurt.

Twitch followed the incident by suspending Riemer’s account. SoaR also announced it had dropped Riemer from the company, saying it didn’t “condone the actions on livestream by Carl.”

Riemer addressed the incident and apologized in videos posted on Twitter and YouTube. He admitted to being “intoxicated” on the stream and showed a metal cup that was hit when he fired the gun. He said he wasn’t sure if the Twitch suspension was permanent, but if it was, he couldn’t rely on YouTube because he “stopped making enough from YouTube to pay the bills a while ago.”

Riemer could face legal repercussions if Colorado prosecutors decide firing the gun while drunk ammounted to illegal weapon's discharge.

handgun
In this image, National Rifle Association members check a pistol in the Remington display at the 146th NRA annual and exhibits in Atlanta, Georgia, April 29, 2017. Getty Images/Scott Olson
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