Woman Accidentally Shoots Self In Head While Taking Selfie

A young Russian woman accidentally shot herself in the head with a pistol while posing for a selfie, Russian news agencies reported Friday, citing police.

The 21-year-old found a 9mm handgun left behind by a security guard at her Moscow office and decided to pose for a photograph holding it, a police spokesman told Interfax news agency.

While taking a selfie with one hand, she accidentally pressed the gun's trigger, shooting herself in the temple at close range.

The incident which happened Thursday but was confirmed by police on Friday, led to the woman being hospitalised in a Moscow clinic.

The victim was in a "serious condition" on Friday, a spokeswoman for Moscow's Sklifosovsky hospital told RIA Novosti state news agency.

Police are investigating how the woman, who was an office worker, got hold of the gun, a city police spokesman told RIA Novosti.

The security guard had left the gun at work two weeks earlier before going on holiday, the police spokesman said.

The trend for posting selfie photographs online led by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian has prompted risky behaviour worldwide.

A survey this month found 17 percent of Americans had taken a selfie while driving.

US investigators in February said a pilot's repeated snapping of selfie photos caused a small plane to crash, killing both people on board.

Via: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/russian-woman-accidentally-shoots-herself-while-taking-selfie/article1-1350111.aspx

Man Falls Off Cliff Taking Selfie in Bali

A Singaporean man has died after falling off a cliff and into the sea while attempting to take a selfie on an island off the coast of Bali in Indonesia.

Mohamed Aslam Shahul, 21, was killed after losing his balance and falling into the sea from a two-metre high cliff, during a holiday with eight friends at the Sandy Bay Beach in Nusa Lembongan.

The news of his death emerged as another selfie-related incident was reported in Russia today, after a young woman accidentally shot herself in the head while taking a photograph of herself.

The 21-year-old was said to have been posing while pointing a 9mm handgun to her head. She had found the gun at her Moscow office left behind by a security guard, police spokesman told Interfax news agency.

While taking a selfie with one hand, she accidentally pressed the gun’s trigger, shooting herself in the temple at close range, according to reports. The woman was in a “serious condition” today, a spokeswoman for Moscow’s Sklifosovsky hospital told RIA Novosti state news agency.

The man in Singapore had lost his balance after being hit by a wave, a local police chief said in a statement. “He slipped and fell into the ocean. He apparently couldn’t swim.”

Aslam’s body was found in the sea, five metres deep, according to police. Local residents had brought him to Jungut Batu community health centre where doctors declared him dead. “His body has been taken to Sanglah Hospital,” the police chief said.

A spokesperson for Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its embassy in Jakarta had extended its condolences to Aslam’s family, provided consular assistance and facilitated the repatriation of his body back to Singapore.

Elephant Escapes Circus, Kills Man On A Walk

BERLIN — A German man taking his regular morning stroll was killed by an elephant which had escaped from a nearby circus, police said Saturday.

The 65-year-old man was walking in the woods near Buchen, a town in southwest Germany, when the African elephant attacked him shortly after 5 a.m., said Heidelberg police spokeswoman Yvonne Schmierer.

She declined to say what injuries the unnamed man suffered.

The 34-year-old female elephant, called “Baby,” was captured and returned to the circus.

Police are now investigating whether someone let the elephant out of its secure enclosure, and why the animal acted aggressively toward the man.

“There’s evidence of third party involvement,” said Schmierer. “Either someone forgot to shut the enclosure, or the elephant was released intentionally.”

German news agency dpa reported that the elephant had previously injured people.

It quoted a representative of the German branch of animal rights group PETA calling for authorities to take the elephant away from the circus.

Via: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/elephant-escapes-circus-kills-man-germany-article-1.2257097

Man Dies Trapped In His Corvette Dream Car

A 72-year-old man from Port Arthur, Texas, died inside his dream car when the lock system malfunctioned and he was trapped inside his 2007 Corvette with his dog, Leia.

James Rogers and his pet both died of heat exhaustion earlier this week, police said.

The accident is not uncommon for some Corvette models, owners say. A low battery or a low key fob battery can cause the locks to lock up. But there is a manual release on the driver's side that allows occupants to bypass the battery, according to owners' manuals.

Rogers apparently didn't know about that according to KBMT-TV. A battery cable had come loose, the station said.

He had just stopped in at a Waffle House, where he was a regular. As he got in his luxury car to leave, the doors and windows locked. He had accidentally left his phone inside the restaurant, so he was unable to call for help.

Another regular customer and employees tried to rescue Rogers but couldn't get the doors open. A firefighter eventually broke a window, but Rogers and his dog were already dead.

On an online Corvette forum, several posters detailed having been locked inside their cars.

"I called my wife and daughter to let me out with the extra set of keys. They laughed so hard and told everyone about it and they have made it a town joke about this," wrote a Corvette owner with the handle "syswayne."

Via: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-man-72-dies-trapped-corvette-dream-car-article-1.2253934

Lion Leaps Through Car Window, Mauls Woman To Death

Rules are there for a reason.

A woman has been killed in an attack by a lion at the Lion Park in the Lanseria/Honeydew area of Johannesburg.

Sources say another person was injured and the pair may have been driving with their car window open.

This is the third attack at the park in the past four months.

Scott Simpson, assistant operations manager at the Lion Park, said that details are still sketchy but he believes that a woman and a man were driving in the lion camp with windows open.

One of the lions jumped through the passenger window and bit the woman. The man was injured trying to push the lion off the woman.

"Our staff working at the top of the camp tried to get the lion away from the car. Ambulances were called immediately but it was too late," he said.

Simpson said visitors to the park are given plenty of warning not to leave their windows open.

"We make it so clear. We put signage up everywhere that people must keep their windows closed. We hand them a slip of paper when they enter the park, I really don’t understand why people think its okay to leave windows open," he said.

Via: www.enca.com/south-africa/woman-killed-lion-park-attack

Dog poisoner dies after shooting himself with toxic dart

Karma was exceptionally cruel to one dog meat vendor in Hunan province, who was killed after accidentally shooting himself with the same kind of poisoned dart he used to take down dogs.

The unidentified man ran a lucrative dog meat-selling operation along with five others, who'd later admitted to killing more than 1,000 canines to be sold to restaurants. The ringleader had reportedly been demonstrating how to use a crossbow when it suddenly went off, shooting a poisonous dart into his leg. He died on his way to the hospital, according to SCMP.

The other members of the operation were later arrested, and confessed to freezing the canine carcasses with the intention of selling the meat to restaurants.

The lethal darts, when not in the hands of the hopelessly incompetent (may he rest in peace), are apparently very effective when it comes to hunting down strays. In December, we reported that dog thieves in a Hubei village were killing up to eight dogs per day using 15-centimeter-long winged darts. As you might expect, however, this isn't the first time the illegal business of poisoning dogs has resulted in human casualties. Last year, a man in Guangdong province who'd gotten in a scuffle with a local villager ended up using one of his toxic syringes to kill him. Two years before, an animal-lover who'd stepped in to stop a dog-meat dealer became the target of a poisoned needle. Most recently, in Shanghai, a man strangled a dog thief to death after discovering that his pet had been poisoned.

For those of you adventurous enough to taste dog meat in China—keep in mind how much of the toxic meatdoes end up making it to restaurants. 

Via: http://shanghaiist.com/2015/05/27/dog-poisoner-dies-shooting-self-toxic-dart.php

Teacher Who Taught Class on Depression Dead by Suicide

The 31-year-old teacher who hanged herself in a Placentia high school classroom earlier this week had previously taught a class unit on suicide and depression.

Jillian Jacobson, a photography teacher at El Dorado High School, experienced a similarly tragic death in her family before she took her own life. Her father, Richard Prisbrey, committed suicide at the age of 55 in 2011. He had gone missing, and was found in his car in the desert with a bullet wound to his head, according to AP. Jacobson openly talked about her father's death to her students, and even did a week-long session on depression. She encouraged students to get help if they ever felt sad, and told them that they should never resort to suicide.

When students arrived for their first period class around 8:40 a.m. on Monday, they found that the classroom door was locked. After asking another teacher to unlock the door, they discovered Jacobson hanging from the ceiling. Paramedics arrived and tried to revive Jacobson, but she was declared dead at the scene.

“It’s sad for the students and fellow teachers who witnessed that,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi told the L.A. Times.

Even though Jacobson didn't leave a suicide note, authorities believe she had taken her own life. However, they do not know the motive behind her suicide and are interviewing her family to gain more insight. Authorities have scheduled an autopsy for her this week.
Jacobson was well-liked by her students and colleagues, and they described her as someone who seemed happy, according to the OC Register. Records showed that she lived in Anaheim with her 34-year-old husband.

Grief counselors have been speaking to students about Jacobson's death. “Everyone is still crying,” freshman Madelyn Pippin, one of Jacobson’s students, told the OC Register. “It’s just so sad walking past her door, knowing what happened inside.”

Students tweeted out photos of themselves with Jacobson, sending their condolences.

Via: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-teacher-dead-at-el-dorado-high-school-20150302-story.html

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone, remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt, and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.