Pen-gun accident kills budding rap singer

Ohio News Network | Dayton Daily News ^ | 12/5/05

[LibWhacker]

ST. PARIS, Ohio -- Steven Zorn had put the pen gun to his head and clicked before, thinking it was jammed and would not work.

But on the third try, the tiny, silver pistol went off as the 22-year-old budding rap singer was drinking to celebrate an impending record deal. He died later at the hospital.

The shooting Nov. 18 at Zorn's home in this rural village of 2,000, about 50 miles northeast of Dayton. Family, friends and law enforcement officials believe it was accidental.

Family and friends said Zorn drove himself to succeed in the music world. He loved hip hop and wrote songs described as being filled with raw emotion. He taught himself to play the keyboard and record tracts using inexpensive software on his home computer.

"He could make a song out of anything," said friend Shane Hanes, with Zorn the night of the shooting.

Zorn tracked down rap artist Miracle in Georgia and urged the crunk artist to listen to a CD of his original recordings.

"The lyrical content was awesome," Miracle said. "He had a lot of skill. I took a liking to him, took him under my wing."

About a week before he died, a friend gave Zorn the pen gun with the .25-caliber bullet.

"This guy gave it to him with a jammed bullet in it," said Zorn's mother, Lisa McCoy-Horn.

She said that the night of the shooting, her son had been drinking and she confronted him about it. Later, Hanes and another friend joined Zorn in a small barn he had converted into his living quarters and sound studio.

"He walked up to his computer and pulled the pen gun out of his pocket and started playing with it," Hanes recalled. "I looked at him and said, 'Steve, you shouldn't be playing with that, that's a loaded gun.'"

When Champaign County sheriff's deputies arrived, they found Zorn shot in the head. He was taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he died.

"Steven had a career and his dreams all ahead of him," said McCoy-Horn. "But messing with these pen guns, these kids need to know that life can be taken in a blink of an eye."

McCoy-Horn wants to see pen guns outlawed. She said several schools have expressed interest in having her come to speak out against the weapons. And she would also like to take her message to the Legislature.

"I've cried and cried so much, but I'm mad now," McCoy-Horn said. "Something's got to be done."

[Doohickey]

Two people...three last names...what did you expect?

[darkangel82]

Zorn tracked down rap artist Miracle in Georgia and urged the crunk artist to listen to a CD of his original recordings.

Wtf is "crunk"?

[sit-rep]

Hold muh mutha f^%#*& crack pipe and watch dis....

[Dashing Dasher]

WTF is "crunk"?

I thought it was a crashed in trunk - but Wikipedia says it is:

Crunk music is classified as a sub-division of Dirty South or Southern rap, and is an outgrowth of Atlanta based Miami Bass (and to a lesser degree, New Orleans Bounce).

Got that? LOL!!!

[steveo]

Put a pen gun to my haid
click the bic an now I dead
Gotta new tat on my fo'head
My brains went blew cause of indigo blue

Too cool I took myself outta the gene pool
Got new ink my gray matter inna sink.

I'm a loner, gonna be a face donor.

[Dashing Dasher]

LOL!!!

It's not my crack pipe, it's Michael Irvin's.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... But messing with these pen guns, these kids need to know that life can be taken in a blink of an eye."

McCoy-Horn wants to see pen guns outlawed."

Her 22-year adult son was not a 'kid', chronologically.

Plus, I do believe that this 'pen gun' her son used to kill himself is/was an unregistered and therefore illegal 'AOW' as far as the BATFE considers it.

[steveo]

My pop had a pen gun in Thailand in the late 70's. Looked like a fountain pen but fired single bullet at close range.

[carlr]

Thank you.
To me "rap" is a monumental expression of raw ignorance posing as talent.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

I've always believed stupidity should be painful.

Unfortunately for the late Mr. Zorn, there was too little pain in his short life to teach him reasonable caution.

Maybe (incredibly doubtful) his death will serve as a lesson to some other pain deprived individual. Hopefully they will get proper training before ending up using a firearm incorrectly and inflicting grievous pain on their surviving family members.

[sit-rep]

Hey! where you been?? everyone's been sendin freepmails and Truline mails around to find out if we pissed ya off or what!!

Now I order you to go to mail and bulk mail the usual suspects!!

[JillValentine]

According to Brady and the VPC, people are "kids" up to age 25 or something. It makes for juicier statistics, right?

[MaryFromMichigan]

Lisa McCoy-Horn is an idiot and her son was an idiot.

Why disparage the Mom?

[Dashing Dasher]

I was off having a wild weekend.... (evil grin!) But, I'm here now and gone tomorrow.

Ping-a-ling to the Usual Suspects - this is a great family story! /sarc

[Dashing Dasher]

I was off having a wild weekend.... (evil grin!) But, I'm here now and gone tomorrow.

Ping-a-ling to the Usual Suspects - this is a great family story! /sarc

[Dashing Dasher]

Sorry about the ditto.

[Ultra Sonic 007]

He's dead Jim.

[sit-rep]

You can say that again...DOH!!

[hattend]

The shooting Nov. 18 at Zorn's home in this rural village of 2,000, about 50 miles northeast of Dayton. Family, friends and law enforcement officials believe it was accidental.

It went off on the third try. Doesn't sound like much of an accident. Darwin would be proud.