Pfc. Isaac Lawrence Young had the hiccups when he and a fellow soldier were watching football on a Sunday afternoon at the Fort Hood military base. Young was an equipment operator at the base, and often spent time with Myers when he was not on-duty. After complaining about the persisting hiccups, Young’s fellow-soldier Spc. Patrick Edward Myers picked up a gun and pointed it at his friend. He hoped that the sudden sight of a gun at his face would scare Young’s hiccups away so that he could enjoy the football game that they were watching.
Unfortunately, the safety on the gun was not locked, and when Myers pointed the gun at his friends face, a bullet launched out of the gun with a bang. The bullet hit Young square in the face, killing him. Myers claims that he thought the gun had dummy rounds inside, and had no idea that there were real bullets in the weapon. Myers was arrested shortly after on manslaughter charges. He admitted that he was not careful when he handled the gun and greatly regrets the consequences of his actions. Some suspect that Myers actions may have been more purposeful, while others believe that he does not deserve a criminal sentence for an action that was a complete accident.
The Huffington Post reports that Myers has told the police he was handling the gun in an unsafe manner but had no intention of harming his friend. While there was alcohol involved in the shooting the police have no yet determined how impaired the men were at the scene of the accident. Myers is currently dealing with his manslaughter charges and his bond is set at $1 million. If you have been charged with manslaughter because of an accidental killing, and you are in the armed forces, then you need the help of an attorney at the Federal Practice Group. The attorneys at our firm focus on military law, and work to defend soldiers in a variety of criminal cases. Talk to us today for more information!
