Young father dies after 'shooting himself while taking selfie'

A teenager posing for selfies with a gun has died after the weapon reportedly went off.

Deleon Alonso Smith, 19, was in his room when the weapon accidentally fired, his cousin told police.

The father of two was understood to have found the gun on Tuesday, the day of the fatal incident.

Police were at the scene in Houston, Texas, investigating the shooting while shocked family and friends gathered outside to console one another.

His uncle, Eric Douglas, said: "It's the worst thing in my life."

Alma Douglas, Mr Smith's grandmother, added: "It's a numb feeling. It's still unbelievable."

The teenager was due to start at college on Wednesday.

Houston Police said that according to a witness, the victim believed the gun was not loaded before it went off and he was hit by a bullet in his upper body.

It is not the first time someone has died or been seriously injured while apparently posing for a selfie with a gun.

In May, a 21-year-old Russian woman was left in a critical condition after shooting herself while posing with a weapon believed to have been left lying around by a security guard.

Last August, 21-year-old Mexican Oscar Otero Aguilar died after reportedly accidentally shooting himself while try to take a selfie.