A 22-year-old Fort Hood, Texas, soldier was shot in the face and died after what prosecutors say was an attempt by a fellow soldier to cure the victim’s hiccups.
Patrick Edward Myers, of Spartansburg, S.C., was charged with manslaughter in the case and remains in the Bell County Jail on $1 million bond, according to a news release from the Killeen, Texas, police.
Police say three men were inside a Killeen residence Sunday night watching a football game and drinking when one of the men produced a handgun, handled it in an “unsafe manner,” and shot the victim in the face.
An arrest affidavit obtained by the Associated Press said Myers apparently pointed a gun at the victim’s head to scare him and stop the hiccups. Myers allegedly thought the gun had dummy rounds when it discharged.
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The victim was being taken by ambulance to an airfield for transport to a hospital when he died.
After a review by the Bell County District Attorney, Myers was charged with manslaughter.
A Fort Hood spokesman on Tuesday declined to release the name of the victim, saying relatives had to be notified.
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