Felon Fires Gun While Taking Selfie at Strip Club – Sentenced
Florida resident and Asian Pride gang member Rorn Sorn, 34, was sentenced to nearly six and a half years behind bars on Monday for accidentally shooting a gun while taking a selfie with his cellphone in a strip club bathroom. Sorn pleaded guilty back on April 24th to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He has prior felony convictions for burglary of a dwelling and attempted first-degree murder.
Sorn was at Club Lust in St. Petersburg in December 2016 when his weapon discharged and a bullet went through a mirror and into the adjacent women’s restroom. Luckily, no injuries were reported.
A security guard heard the shot and stopped Sorn and his friend on their on his way out of the club to ask them what had happened. That’s when Sorn said he had in fact fired, but it was an accident and the gun went off while he was trying to take a photo of himself. “It was an accident, man. I was just trying to take a selfie,” Sorn reportedly responded. The guard immediately called police, while the club owner looked over the restroom.
When St. Petersburg officers arrived, they found a whole felon treasure trove in Sorn’s pockets, including the loaded .40 caliber handgun, ammunition, a gun magazine, marijuana and Xanax pills. Sorn had been prohibited from carrying a firearm or ammunition from his prior convictions. He was arrested and taken into custody.
Sorn’s case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale. The incident was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” initiative, which is a nationwide gun violence reduction program.
This isn’t the first time selfies taken with guns ended badly, either. In 2015, 21-year-old Russian native Agence France-Presse was in her office at work when she found a gun left behind by a security guard. She thought posing with the weapon would make for a creative, fun photo. So, she picked it up and proceeded to turn on her cell’s camera. France-Presse then pointed the 9mm handgun directly at her head. Before the camera shot, the gun did, and the woman was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
Prior to this incident, a 21-year-old Mexican man, Oscar Otero Aguilar, also thought it was a great idea to pose with a gun. He borrowed the weapon, which Aguilar evidently didn’t realize was loaded, and pointed it at his head in an attempt to take a selfie. The weapon discharged, and Aguilar died from his injuries. Around the same time, Manuel Ortiz of Phoenix, Arizona, met a similar fate posing with his sister and a handgun.
The lesson here? Selfies and firearms don’t mix, apparently – particularly when intoxicants are also involved. Sorn’s fate could have been much worse, or he could have seriously injured or killed other club patrons that night. At least he has authorities to thank for ensuring he stays alive a little while longer.
Sources:
Florida Man Gets 6 Years For Firing Gun While Taking Selfie
Woman reportedly shoots self in head while taking selfie
https://www.cnet.com/news/man-poses-for-selfie-accidentally-shoots-self/
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