Man fatally shoots self after accidentally killing friend
MERRILL, Mich. (AP) — Alcohol and guns are being blamed in the accidental slaying of a young Michigan man and the subsequent death of his best friend who pulled the trigger during his own 21st birthday party.
WJRT-TV reports Zachary Woodcock shot himself minutes after 21-year-old Richard Skillman was fatally shot.
Saginaw County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Gomez says Woodcock was celebrating his birthday Jan. 19 with friends in his apartment in Merrill, northwest of Detroit.
Gomez says Woodcock returned from his bedroom with a handgun that "went off and struck Mr. Skillman in the chest."
As others were helping Skillman, witnesses told police that Woodcock left the apartment.