Mark Zuckerberg on impact of police shooting videos: 'The images we've seen this week are graphic and heartbreaking'

The Facebook CEO says the harrowing images of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile being killed by police expose a fear experienced by millions across America

Mark Zuckerberg (ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Mark Zuckerberg has addressed the impact of the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two men who this week joined a growing list of black people shot dead by police officers in the US.

Using the Facebook live feature, Diamond Reynolds filmed events after Mr Castile, her boyfriend, was shot by an officer in a bid to show the world how he had died.

In the disturbing footage, a Minnesota police officer is seen pointing their gun into the car as Mr Castile is slumped in his seat. Ms Reynold's four-year-old daughter was sat in the back seat of the vehicle at the time and is heard comforting her mother at the end of the video.

Describing the images from the shootings of Mr Castile and Mr Sterling, a father-of-five killed the day before, as “graphic and heartbreaking”, the Facebook founder said they expose the scale of the fear faced by millions of people across America.

Cameron Sterling appears alongside his mother Quinyetta McMillon at a news conference following the death of Alton Sterling (AP)

“Yesterday, a Minnesota woman named Diamond Reynolds went live on Facebook immediately after her fiancé, Philando Castile, had been shot by police in his car," Zuckerberg writes. "Philando later died from his wounds. In the video, Diamond's four-year-old daughter is watching from the back seat.

“My heart goes out to the Castile family and all the other families who have experienced this kind of tragedy. My thoughts are also with all members of the Facebook community who are deeply troubled by these events.

“The images we've seen this week are graphic and heartbreaking, and they shine a light on the fear that millions of members of our community live with every day. While I hope we never have to see another video like Diamond's, it reminds us why coming together to build a more open and connected world is so important — and how far we still have to go.”