The Untold Truth Of The Late YouTuber Etika

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00:00YouTube star Daniel Desmond Amofa, a.k.a. Etika, rose to fame as a vlogger with an irresistible

00:06enthusiasm for Nintendo, but his story took a devastating turn in June 2019 when he tragically

00:12died at age 29 in New York City.

00:14Here's a look back on the fascinating, complicated, and too short career of Etika.

00:20Consuming social media video on the internet may be essentially free for viewers, but a

00:24lot of the people making that content earn their living through subscriptions and donations.

00:28Like many streamers, Etika had a donation system set up on his Twitch stream so fans could

00:33toss him a few bucks in appreciation for the entertainment.

00:36But in 2017, Etika posted a YouTube video railing against viewers who gamed the system to levy

00:42chargeback fees against streamers.

00:44Donating money to your favorite streamer just to get recognition and then charging the money

00:47back afterwards is one of the worst things that you could possibly do to the streamer.

00:51In Etika's video, he shared proof of five donations he'd received which had all become

00:56disputed charges on his PayPal account.

00:58The result was that Etika was hit with about $100 in processing fees with nothing to show

01:03for it.

01:04Etika went on to say,

01:05For content creators like myself and many others who suffer from a problem like this, it also

01:10f-ed our lives since everything I do is through PayPal.

01:13Not cool, internet.

01:14Not cool.

01:15Etika loved the Nintendo Switch more than just about anything.

01:19He considered himself such a devotee of the gaming console that he called his fans and followers

01:23Joy-Con Boys, after the Switch's joystick controller.

01:26Joy-Con Boys!

01:27Joy-Con Boys!

01:28Joy-Con Boys!

01:29The Switch hit stores in mid-2017 and faced short supply for months, so when Etika somehow

01:35got his hands on one way back in November 2016, fans went nuts.

01:39The first video of Etika showing off the device circulated for a few days before it disappeared,

01:44around the same time that other hardcore Nintendo fans called foul.

01:48Despite accusations that Etika's Switch was fake, the YouTuber posted another video showing

01:53off his new toy, but he never actually turned it on.

01:55Etika eventually admitted that the controversial device was a high-quality replica.

02:00Why'd he do it?

02:01Etika tweeted that it was just for a laugh.

02:04For six years, Etika racked up a huge following across Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch, and also

02:09became one of the more successful gaming personalities on YouTube.

02:13Then in late 2018, Etika began to struggle publicly with his mental health difficulties shortly

02:17after his popular YouTube channel was terminated for violating YouTube's community guidelines.

02:22Allegedly, his account was posting pornography, which Etika quickly claimed was the result

02:27of a hack.

02:28He responded on Reddit in a way that worried a lot of people, writing,

02:32And now it's my turn to die.

02:33I love you all.

02:35Keep fighting for me, okay?

02:36I'll miss y'all."

02:37Soon after, Etika apologized, writing,

02:39I'm sorry for worrying all of you.

02:41I'm sorry for making you all fear that I was suicidal.

02:44I was being very metaphorical and crazy that night.

02:47I was having a lot of personal realizations.

02:50In April 2019, Etika posted a series of tweets which included a picture of himself with a

02:55firearm.

02:56After allegedly threatening self-harm, police were called to his home in Brooklyn, where

02:59he was detained for about 45 minutes.

03:01He streamed the whole thing live on Instagram to as many as 19,000 people.

03:05The revolution will not be televised.

03:11From the vantage point of Etika's phone, that experience included a SWAT team entering the

03:15apartment by force, a long conversation with police officers, images of cars and caution

03:20tape on the cordoned-off street below his home, and Etika noting several times how he

03:24was scared before he eventually left with the authorities.

03:28An NYPD representative reported that police had responded to his home because of Etika's

03:32mental health history and because he had been allegedly threatening to kill himself.

03:36Police reportedly escorted Etika to a nearby hospital.

03:39A couple days later, Etika found himself involved in another public incident, a video hit Twitter

03:44showing him engaged in a physical fight with a police officer.

03:48Christine Cardona, Etika's ex-girlfriend, talked about the incident on Twitter, writing,

03:52"...he has not been arrested.

03:55He's not going to jail.

03:56A doctor just called me.

03:57He's at the mental ward of a hospital again, not saying where."

04:01According to Heavy, Etika was not charged with the potential felony of assaulting a police

04:05officer due to his mental health history.

04:08On June 19, 2019, Desmond Etika Amofa posted an eight-minute video to his secondary YouTube

04:14account, TR1 Iceman, titled, I'm Sorry.

04:18In the clip, Etika spoke with sadness and finality about himself and his YouTube career as he

04:23walked the streets of New York City, saying,

04:25"...I'm sorry to those of you who I betrayed.

04:27I'm sorry for leaving such a stained legacy.

04:30I hope that my story maybe helps to make YouTube a better place somehow in the future."

04:34Alarmingly, Etika implied that he had plans to take his own life.

04:38"...I really had no intention of killing myself, but I'd always push it too far.

04:42I guess I am mentally ill.

04:43It was a fun life.

04:44I had a great time.

04:46It was great.

04:47But for it to be cut so short, it's f***."

04:49Family, friends, and fans likely feared the worst when the 29-year-old went missing.

04:54According to the New York City Police Department, the vlogger was last heard from on June 19,

04:582019 via a phone call at around 8pm.

05:01Just hours later, investigators discovered Amofa's wallet, driver's license, phone, a

05:06laptop bag, and a Nintendo Switch on Manhattan Bridge.

05:10On June 24, police responded to a 911 call regarding the discovery of a body in the water

05:15near the South Street seaport, and confirmed via Twitter that it was Etika.

05:20A missing YouTube star has been found dead.

05:22Desmond Amofa, known as Etika to thousands of followers on social media, was pulled from

05:27the East River Tuesday morning.

05:29Though his relationship with social media was certainly conflicted, fans have flooded Twitter

05:34with messages of grief and support.

05:36Esports consultant Rod Breslau tweeted,

05:39"'Etika was a pillar of the Smash, Nintendo, YouTube, gaming, and esports communities.

05:44Etika will be remembered as a good man.'"

05:46If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide

05:51Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or 8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

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