Selfie inflicted: Houston teenager posing for photos with gun shoots himself dead

[Scorpion]

Selfie inflicted: Houston teenager posing for photos with gun shoots himself dead

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 03 September, 2015, 9:34am
UPDATED : Thursday, 03 September, 2015, 9:56pm

The Guardian in Houston

Deleon Alonso Smith was reportedly posting pictures of himself online, posing with a gun, when the weapon fired and killed him. Photo: AFP

A Houston teenager posing for selfies with a gun was killed when it went off.

The 19-year-old was at an apartment in the city on Tuesday afternoon when the weapon fired, hitting him in the throat.

Media reports named the man as Deleon Alonso Smith, who had two young children and had been scheduled to start college on Wednesday.

“It’s the worst feeling in my life,” his uncle, Eric Douglas, told KPRC local news.

“It’s a numb feeling. It’s still unbelievable. Yesterday was my birthday and he came to wish me happy birthday, and now this kind of news,” Smith’s grandmother, Alma Douglas, told the station.

Investigators say Smith had found a gun and was taking pictures of himself and a cousin holding the weapon and posting them to online when the gun discharged, killing Smith. Investigators say the cousin was in another room when the gun fired.

Houston police said in a statement on Wednesday the man was found “in a bedroom of an apartment”. Paramedics then pronounced him deceased.

“According to a witness, the victim was handling a gun he believed to be unloaded. The gun then discharged and the victim was struck in the upper body. The investigation is continuing, with no charges filed at this time.”

Last year, a 21-year-old died in Mexico City after pointing a loaded gun at his head for a Facebook photo. The firearm discharged, killing him.

In May this year a 21-year-old Russian woman was seriously wounded after accidentally shooting herself while posing for a selfie.

In July, Russian police produced a safety guide after a reported 10 deaths and 100 accidents in the country this year, caused by people taking selfies in dangerous situations.

Additional reporting by Associated Press