Texas Soldier Dead After Friend Waves Gun to Scare Away Hiccups

Texas soldier charged with manslaughter for shooting at hiccupping friend.

ByABC News
September 26, 2012, 11:11 AM

Sept. 26, 2012— -- A Texas soldier has been charged with manslaughter after he allegedly killed his friend while reportedly waving around his gun to scare him and rid the friend of the hiccups.

Pfc. Isaace Lawrence Young, 22, was killed Sunday evening while watching football and drinking with two of his friends, including fellow soldier Pfc. Patrick Edward Myers, according to the Killeen, Texas, police.

Myers told police that he pointed a gun at Young to scare him and cure him of the hiccups, believing that there were dummy bullets in the gun, according to Killeen police.

The gun accidentally fired, hitting Young in the face, according to the Bell County prosecutor's office.

Young was taken by ambulance to an airfield to be transported by helicopter to a hospital, but died in the ambulance, according to the police. He had been in the army since 2011 and was deployed to Fort Hood.

On Tuesday, the Bell County prosecutor's office charged Myers, 27, with manslaughter. He is being held on $1 million bond.

The incident did not happen on the Fort Hood base, according to a spokesman there.