Video shows security officer pointing gun at Aaron Bushnell as he burned to death, netizens question his ‘compassion’

Shocking footage of US airman Aaron Bushnell setting himself on fire revealed that even as he died by suicide, a security officer pulled a gun and kept it fixed at him throughout the incident.

According to claims reports on social media, the man holding the gun was either a US police officer or an Israeli embassy guard.

Before his death, Bushnell posted a video where he explained why he had planned to do what he did. “My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” he said. “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonisers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

He live streamed the video of the tragic incident on Twitch, but it was later taken down. The footage reportedly showed him walking up to the Israeli embassy and pouring a liquid on himself. He then set himself on fire, shouting “Free Palestine” repeatedly.

‘A scenario where protocols or fear override basic human empathy’

Social media users were shocked to see the man pointing a gun at the dying airman, instead of trying to help him. “This guy pointing a gun at someone engulfed in flames is a metaphor for the innocent and vulnerable Palestinians dying in Gaza,” one user commented on the video. “I wondered how could someone hold a gun instead of getting a fire extinguisher or doing something to help,” another user said. “This is so sad and painful to see a young man having to go to this extreme to make an obvious humanitarian point. And disgusting and disturbing to see a coward pointing his gun at a dying man instead of helping him,” one user said, while another wrote, “The notion of holding a gun to a person engulfed in flames evokes a profound sense of disgust. Such an image symbolizes an extreme disconnect from humanity’s innate compassion, suggesting a scenario where protocols or fear override basic human empathy.”

“Yeah police training in this country needs some serious revisiting. This is ridiculous,” one user said. “The sheer cruelty of an Israeli embassy agent holding a gun on Aaron Bushnell in his moment of agony is beyond comprehension. It’s a stark illustration of the ruthless oppression faced by those who dare to demand freedom and justice. My thoughts are with Aaron and his loved ones.”

The 25-year-old was from San Antonio, Texas. He died on Sunday, February 25, the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington confirmed.