Hiccups scare turns deadly; soldier charged

LOS ANGELES -- An attempt by a soldier to scare the hiccups out of the system of a comrade from Fort Hood in Texas left one man dead and the other in jail on manslaughter charges, authorities said Wednesday.

Pfc. Patrick Edward Myers, 27, was charged with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, Bell County District Attorney Henry Garza told the Los Angeles Times. If convicted, he faces 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Bail bond of $1 million was set for Myers, who was being held in the Bell County jail.

Police in Killeen, Texas, said Myers was with two other men in an off-base home Sunday night, where they were watching football and drinking.

Police said they responded to a report of a shooting at the home and found a male with a gunshot wound to his face.

"The victim had the hiccups. The suspect pulled out a gun to scare him in order to stop the hiccups and the gun went off," Killeen police public affairs officer Carroll Smith said.

The dead soldier was identified by Fort Hood officials as Pfc. Isaac Lawrence Young, 22, of Ash Grove, Mo. -- Los Angeles Times