You know that idea that you can "scare away" someone's hiccups? Well, if you try that, might not want to use a gun. A Fort Hood, Texas soldier, Spc. Patrick Myers, will receive three and a half years prison time and a bad conduct discharge after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. His crime? He shot his friend in the head after trying to "scare away" his hiccups. But there's more to the story.

Patrick Myers was watching a football game with Isaac Lawrence when tragedy struck. Patrick said he thought the gun was loaded with "dummy rounds," and he thought that if he put the gun to his friend's head, it would scare him into his hiccups being cured.

But there's some major weirdness to this story. The pair had apparently been drinking all day. And to "scare" Pvt. Lawrence, I would assume this meant that Myers put the gun to his head in a threatening manner. After all, if he did it in a joking manner, then where would the scare be?

So whether or not Myers meant to kill his friend, the last thing Lawrence probably saw before he died was his pal putting a gun to his head -- and not knowing why. If Patrick was truly trying to frighten him, then his friend died scared. Horrible.

Also, even if Patrick did think "dummy rounds" were in the gun, WHY would he pull the trigger? Even dummy rounds that close up to someone's head could cause serious damage.

Sounds like the boozefest wiped out whatever glimmer of common sense this guy may have had to begin with. Guns aren't toys to be played with in games of "let's stop the hiccups."

Patrick's sentence is so light, it's almost non-existent. With good behavior, he could be out in half that time. Certainly, he might have a difficult time finding a job with this on his resume -- but as a former soldier, he'll probably find someone to give him a chance. I'm not saying the guy doesn't have a right to move on with his life, but this sentence is a slap on the wrist. I hope no one hires him as a security guard or any other job with access to a gun. I can only assume that Patrick's conscience will be his life sentence.

And if any of your friends get the hiccups, tell them to drink a glass of water or hold their breath.

Do you think this guy's sentence was fair?

 

Image via AOL On/Killeen Police