On Friday, July 26th, at around 10:30 pm, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Yavapai Regional Medical Center in Prescott after receiving a call from a man saying a weapon had discharged and his friend was shot in the abdomen. When Deputies got to the hospital, they found the victim had been initially stabilized but had complications on the flight to a Phoenix-area hospital. During the initial investigation, Deputies learned the victim was going to be the shooter’s best man in his upcoming wedding.
Those involved told Law Enforcement they were from the Phoenix area but staying at the UCYC Camp in Prescott. The parties, who were from the Phoenix area but staying at the UCYC Camp in Prescott, went to a secluded area of camp and were shooting and “hunting skunks.” When they got back to camp after sunset, one of them was standing by a vehicle while the victim stood across from him, and when trying to make sure their weapons were clear, the shooter was pointing his weapon across at the victim and after pulling the charging handle back several times, the shooter “thought” the weapon was empty and pulled the trigger firing a .22 caliber round into the abdomen of the victim.
In the early hours of Saturday, July 27th, YCSO Detectives were told the 22-year-old victim succumbed to his injuries and died after going through surgery.