fairfield
The woman's body was found in Fairfield City Park, Birmingham on Thursday morning, 6 July Google Streetview

A 20-year-old woman from Alabama reportedly shot herself with her grandmother's Smith and Wesson in a suspected suicide streamed to her friends and relatives on Facebook Live.

The nearly six-minute live stream, which was posted on Facebook just before midnight on Wednesday (5 July) and contained only audio, stopped seconds after a single gunshot could be heard, local news site AL.com reported.

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Her body was discovered the following morning in Fairfield City Park, Birmingham by a member of the public.

Police say the investigation is ongoing but that all evidence points to suicide, including the recovered live stream which has now been removed from Facebook.

In the audio clip, the woman can reportedly be heard crying and talking about difficulties she was having.

"I know everybody got their problems in life and they say God going to help you overcome this and God going to help you overcome that,'' she can be heard saying, according to AL.com.

"I've been praying. Every time I get close to my goals, they get pushed back. I've got so many emotions running through my body, I don't even know how I feel right now. I've just been chillin' out here. Me, myself and my Smith & Wesson."

The clip had been viewed nearly 10,000 times before being taken down. The woman has not been publicly named by police.

The grandmother of the woman has been informed of the death, with detectives discovering her gun was missing.

It is believed her granddaughter took the firearm during a visit to her home on Wednesday.

Facebook Live became a publicly available tool in January 2016, allowing users to live stream video to friends and family using their smartphones.

Despite the company pushing for users to share heart-warming life moments, a string of suicides and crimes broadcast live on the platform has led to calls for more to be done to regulate content.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has since promised to try weed out violent videos, and is testing artificial intelligence to ensure such videos are taken down as quickly as possible.

In March, the company also announced plans to integrate real-time suicide prevention tools into Facebook Live.

People watching a live stream will be able to report the video to Facebook, who can then reach out to emergency workers if the person is in imminent danger.

Separately, the person filming will also be shown a set of resources pop up on their phone screen, so they can contact a friend or a help line.

The Samaritans provides a free support service for those who need to talk to someone in the UK and Republic of Ireland. It can be contacted via Samaritans.org or by calling 116 123 (UK) or 116 123 (ROI), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, please contact a free support service at Mind.org.uk or call 0300 123 3393. Call charges apply.