Another odd story out of Florida today, as a Florida man has reportedly shot himself in the penis accidentally. According to a report from News 4 Jax , Cedrick Jelks – perhaps an unfortunate name in this case (“jelqing” being a purported penis-enlargement technique,) 38, of Jacksonville, Florida, may be facing charges as a result of his unfortunate injury.
According to police reports, on June 30, the man was taken to Jacksonville’s Memorial Hospital by a complete stranger after he ran into her house in a panic and ran straight into the bathroom. Shaneika Roberts, 25, told police that she followed Jelks into the bathroom, where she learned that he had somehow been shot in the penis, and rushed him to the hospital.
According to the Jacksonville Patch , Jelks was given surgery for his wound , and the Jacksonville police were called to the hospital just before 3 a.m. to investigate the shooting – standard procedure when somebody is admitted with a gunshot wound. After some questioning, they learned that Jelks had got into his Nissan Altima in the early hours of the morning, only to accidentally sit on the handgun that had been left, armed and unsafetied, which fired a bullet directly into his penis. Panicking, he ran into the first house he saw, and to their bathroom to examine himself – fortunately not suffering another gunshot wound for his troubles.
Jelks’ condition is currently unknown, but Jacksonville police say that he may be facing charges resulting from the shooting. Allegedly, Jelks was convicted of cocaine-related charges in 2004. Because he is a convicted felon, he could be facing weapons charges for possessing a firearm, a second-degree felony itself in Florida. If convicted, he could be facing up to 15 years in prison, 15 years of supervised probation, or a $10,000 fine, in addition to the fact that he shot himself in the penis. If convicted for actual possession, he will face a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison.
That said, as the firearm was sitting in his car and not actually in his possession at the time, it may be extremely difficult for prosecutors to make their case.
Regardless of whether he is charged or convicted, one is inclined to think that Cedrick Jelks has already suffered enough.
[Featured Image by KenTannenbaum/iStock]
