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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Australian Man Gunned Down in Drive

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

URL: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,339213,00.html

Australian Man Gunned Down in Driveway by Killer Robot

An 81-year-old Australian man has shot himself dead with an elaborate suicide robot built using plans he downloaded from the Internet.

The Gold Coast man, who lived alone, left notes of his plans and thoughts as he struggled to come to terms with demands by interstate relatives that he move out his home and into care.

He spent hours searching the Internet for a way to kill himself, downloaded what he needed and then built a complex machine that would remotely fire a gun.

He set the device up in his driveway about 7 a.m. Wednesday, placed himself in front of it and set it in motion.

His notes explained that he chose the driveway as he knew there were tradesmen working next door who would find his body. The plan worked as the workmen heard the gunshots and ran to investigate.

The machine was attached to a .22 semi-automatic pistol loaded with four bullets.

It was able to fire multiple shots into the man's head after he activated it.

Submitted on 03/20/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: FoxNews / Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

Great? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Awful?
Love it! Hate it!
>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Neutral: Other
I've been expecting to see this submitted since I first heard about it a couple days ago. We typically don't award suicides except in extreme cases, and I'm a little torn on this one. The man basically shot himself in the head but using a device to make a semi-automatic fire rapidly. It does show some ingenuity but other than that it's not all that uncommon. The only suicide I recall is this one that was much more bizarre: http://darwinawards.com/slush/200709/pending20070913-105050.html. So let's see what the other moderators have to say about this one. Thanks for sending it in.


James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
I'm going to let Darwin decide on this one. True, we rarely if ever award suicides, but the trouble this fellow went through just to get to that point merits consideration!


Chip said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Yes, this is one for Darwin since it is a suicide, although a Class A one. Thanks.


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Hardback. 327 pages. Autographed.
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185 Stories! In the ongoing saga of Survival of the Fittest, meet the thief who steals electrical wires without shutting off the current! Marvel at the would-be pilot who suspends his lawnchair from helium balloons! Learn from the man who peers into a gas can using a cigarette lighter...!

This book also includes a History of the Darwin Awards, Darwin Haiku, and a dozen humorous discussions of the implications of evolution, including the origin of idiots, and the role of testosterone.

Autographed by Author!

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