OVERLAND, MO (KTVI) – The Overland teen who shot himself in the chest and died last week was attempting to take a selfie when the gun went off, the Overland Police Department said.
The shooting happened Friday, June 3 around 7:30 p.m. in the 9500 block of Page. The teen, identified as DaMontez Jones, was home alone with his three other brothers at the time of the incident. His mother and her fiancé were not at the residence.
According to our partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, police believe Jones found the gun on the top shelf in a bedroom closet. The firearm did not have a safety lock.
Jones was rushed to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest and later died.
Investigators believe the shooting to be accidental and give credence to the selfie theory because Jones’ older brothers told their father about the idea and because police found a cellphone near the teenager.
Police have sent the cellphone to a lab to see if they can find any pictures of Jones with the gun.
