Army soldier tries to cure hiccups, shoots friend

An attempt to cure a case of hiccups has left one U.S. Army soldier dead and another behind bars.

According to the Killeen Daily Herald, 22-year-old Pfc. Isaac Lawrence Young was hiccuping while watching football on Sunday night with fellow soldier Spc. Patrick Edward Myers, 27.

In an apparent attempt to scare him and make the hiccups go away, Myers allegedly pointed a handgun at Young's face and pulled the trigger. The newspaper said Myers told police he thought the gun was loaded with dummy rounds.

Young, a motor transport operator from Missouri, was struck in the eye and died en route to the hospital.

"Weapons are nothing to be played with, especially handguns, and when that happens, it doesn't come out good," Carroll Smith of the Killeen Police Department told KXXV-TV in Waco. "Unfortunately somebody lost their life over this."

Police said the men had been drinking alcohol before the shooting. Myers was charged with manslaughter. A judge set his bond at $1 million.

Both men were stationed at Fort Hood in Central Texas.

Young had been a soldier for 16 months. The Army says his awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.