College-Bound Teen Fatally Shoots Himself While Posing For Selfie

Deleon Alonso Smith, 19, accidentally shot himself while posing for a selfie with a loaded gun Tuesday, police say. According to Click 2 Houston, the handgun accidentally went off, shooting him in the throat.

“It’s the worst feeling in my life,” said the victim’s uncle, Eric Douglas.

Smith, who fathered two young children, was supposed to begin college Wednesday.

“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,” said the teen’s grandmother, Alma Douglas.

At the time of the shooting, Smith’s cousin was in the home but he was in another room. The cousin told investigators that they found the gun earlier in the day, but cops are still working to figure out where they found it. Police say that Smith thought the gun was unloaded at the time.

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