Man shoots himself in head while posing for gun selfie

It may seem obvious, but if you must take a gun selfie, it’s probably best you point the barrel away from your head.

Oscar Otero Aguilar learned that lesson the hard way, accidentally killing himself while posing for a selfie with a .38 pointing toward – that’s right – his head.

The incident happened last weekend just north of Mexico City. Reports suggest the 21-year-old veterinarian had been partying with friends, and grabbed his smartphone – and gun – for a selfie that he intended to post on Facebook.

Screaming

Neighbor Manfredo Paez Paez told local news media that he heard the tragic accident take place.

“I heard a gunshot, and then I heard somebody screaming and realized somebody had been hurt,” Paez said, adding, “I called the police straight away and when they arrived they found that he was still alive.”

Medics battled to save the man, but he died on the way to hospital.

‘Selfie obsessive’

According to the UK Mirror, Aguilar was something of a selfie obsessive, with a “desire to take ever more impressive selfies and other snaps of himself to post on social media” as part of a growing collection that included photos of himself “in front of fast cars, sitting on expensive motorbikes, hugging beautiful women, and posing in a band.”

Reports suggest he had been “messing around with the gun” as he took the selfie, resulting in the accident that ended his life.

It’s only the latest in a long string of selfie-stupidity. Fans of the Tour de France were recently chided for putting cyclists at risk, a woman was arrested after posing for a selife in stolen clothes, and last year 19-year-old Depree Johnson was arrested after posting multiple photos of himself with weapons, stolen cash, and drugs on his personal Instagram account.

Come on, selfie-takers of the world. We have to be smarter than this.