Streamer forced to take shelter after she heard "gunshots" - in the middle of a livestream

A streamer was forced to take shelter after she heard "gunshots" - in the middle of a livestream.

Coco, who didn't wish to reveal her real name or age, livestreams professionally under the name BigCocoBuns on Twitch.

She was documenting Mexican Independence Day in Chicago, USA on September 16 around 8:30 pm when the incident happened.

Coco was live on Twitch - outside a supermarket in the Pilsen area - trying Mexican snacks for her audience when she heard what sounded like gunfire nearby.

The streamer initially thought it was fireworks but as the noise continued she ended the livestream.

She can be heard addressing her audience: "Are those fireworks, are those fireworks, chat?"

She continues: "I gotta go! Are those fireworks? I'm freaking out" before ending the stream.

Coco sheltered in an ice cream shop nearby and messaged a friend, who picked her up 30 minutes later.

Coco, who is from Toronto, Canada, explained: "I was sitting in the parking lot of a Hispanic grocery store trying out Hispanic snacks.

"There were so many fireworks because of the festivities that I didn't know there were gunshots.

"In the 10-20 seconds after I heard the bullets, I kept the camera on in case anything happened then I ended the stream.

"In retrospect, I can laugh about it but in the moment I was shaken by it.

"I've seen so many comments saying it was staged because I was laughing but I was laughing because of the shock of what happened."

Coco, who is in the top 0.11% of live-streamers, specialises in outdoor and travel streams and hasn't let the experience discourage her.

She said: "It hasn't discouraged me at all. I've lived in cities before and I know the danger. I will be more cautious moving forward, though."

It remains unclear whether what Coco heard were actually gunshots.

Chicago PD said: "There are no calls of service or finalized case reports for that date and location."