Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A man in Texas is facing murder charges in the death of his friend after the two reportedly took turns shooting at one another while drinking.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, 46-year-old Sean O'Donnell was arrested last week when a male friend died August 17 after being shot in the head.
Sheriff's deputies responded to the property where Aaron Prout was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
Prout, who reportedly was a British citizen, was taken to a hospital, where he died from injuries.
It was first believe to be a suicide but "things weren't adding up" after investigators looked further, according to Gonzalez.
Officials said O'Donnell and Prout allegedly took their tuns shooting at one another with a rifle while wearing Kevlar helmets and under the influence of alcohol.
"They were holding it above their heads until the complainant ended up with a bullet hole in the top of his head," a Harris County judge stated during a recent court hearing.
On Thursday, O'Donnell was charged on one count of murder in Prout's gun death.
"We are in a situation here where this is a real danger to the community because the defendant gets intoxicated and uses weapons irresponsibly," the judged added.
A 2023 report indicated more than 12,300 people died nationwide via gun accidents from 2001 and 2021.
Its data suggested that people in Southern states such as neighboring Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama run the greatest risk of a gunshot accidentally killing them.