A man has accidentally shot dead his friend in a "quick draw" gun competition which went horribly wrong.
James Turner and Raelan Hamilton, both 21-years old, were messing around with their guns at their home in South Carolina, in the US, on September 23.
The childhood friends were competing with each other to see who was the fastest to take out their guns.
They had already tested each other 14 times on the night of the tragic shooting.
However, police were called around 9.30pm after James claimed he accidentally shot his friend Raelan “due to muscle memory” as he pulled the fatal trigger.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said Raelan died from a single gunshot wound.
According to police, James and Raelan's family member both gave statements which married with the incident.
Cops also have physical evidence which supports both their accounts.
A spokesperson for the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said: “Since this incident was the second tragic incident last week involving either the improper storage or handling of firearms.
"This agency would like to remind all of our citizens to exercise the upmost caution when handling any weapon."
However, James could be charged with involuntary manslaughter after authorities confirmed there was a probable cause to charge him.
The accidental gun crime follows just days after a man in Michigan was charged for shooting at an elderly 84-year-old neighbour over an abortion row.
Richard Alan Harvey, 74, said he accidentally shot the woman in the shoulder, who was speaking out against abortion rights on the doorsteps of Michigan.
Prosecutors from Ionia county, Michigan, charged Richard on Friday with one count each of assault with felonious assault, careless discharge of a gun causing injury, and reckless use of a firearm.
Police said the woman was volunteering with an organisation asking voters door-to-door to reject protecting Michigan’s abortion rights during a vote in November.
She went to Harvey's home on September 20, near Lake Odessa, when the elderly woman got into an argument with his wife Joan Jacobson, who is an advocate of abortion rights.
The pair asked the woman to leave but she refused, according to Harvey, and he pulled out a 22-caliber rifle from his house.
He initially fired at a pine tree as a warning shot to get rid of the pair to leave their home.
But then Harvey "without thinking" said he fired the rifle's trigger and the volunteer was shot in the right shoulder.
Harvey said: "“It went off. It was an accident."
The 84-year-old drover herself to a police department and received medical treatment.
He was not immediately charged with a crime but after an investigation he could be charged with felonious assault - which carries up to four years in prison.
