Investigation Underway After Pinellas Park Man Accidently Shot Himself While Live on Messenger App
Pinellas Park Police responded to a call of a shooting at a residence located at 7835 46th Street N, where a male victim was shot in the chest at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, August 8, 2018.
Information provided by the victim 28 year-old Benny Ortiz of Pinellas Park, lead responding officers to initially believe that Ortiz was shot by an unknown subject through a window from the outside of his residence. Ortiz was transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his chest. During the investigation a handgun was found inside the residence where the victim had been located and shot.
As the investigation continued investigators received information from an out of state family member who stated that Ortiz had actually shot himself accidentally. The out of state family member had been communicating with Ortiz on a live social media messenger app just prior to the shooting. The family member indicated that Ortiz was showing off and playing with the handgun when it accidentally discharged while the family member was still watching the social media messenger app. The family member saw Ortiz handling the gun and the next thing they heard was the gun go off and Ortiz began making noises indicating he was injured.
The family member contacted Ortiz’s mother who also responded to the scene. At this time the investigation is still ongoing, and Ortiz is currently being treated for his injury at a local hospital. His current condition is unknown at this time.