21-year-old killed in 15th round of ‘quick draw’ gun game, SC cops say. Friend charged

A 21-year-old was shot during a “quick draw” gun game — and now a longtime friend is charged in his death, South Carolina officials said.

The friends, who had been close since middle school, were “gun enthusiasts” and played a game to see who was faster, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

“The routine was for both parties to start out with unloaded firearms, then insert a loaded clip without chambering a round, and then pulling the trigger,” according to deputies.

But during the 15th round of their competition on Sept. 23, one of the friends reportedly said, “He accidentally chambered a round from the clip in his gun due to muscle memory, and when he pulled the trigger, he tragically shot his friend by mistake,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release.

The man’s 21-year-old friend was shot once, and first responders tried to give him medical care. He died at the scene, according to the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office.

The deceased friend was identified in a news release as 21-year-old Raelan Cole Hamilton. He was from Woodruff, roughly 15 miles southwest of Spartanburg.

Now, the surviving friend is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the case. He turned himself in and was later released on bond, police said.

Officials continue to investigate the shooting, which was reported at about 9:30 p.m. on Red Raven Drive in Greer. The surviving friend and his grandfather gave consistent information that lined up with evidence at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.

The incident was reported days after another Spartanburg County death. Deputies said a mom was accidentally shot and killed when her 3-year-old found an “unsecured” gun, McClatchy News reported.

“Since this incident was the second tragic incident last week involving either the improper storage or handling of firearms, this agency would like to remind all of our citizens to exercise the (utmost) caution when handling any weapon,” officials wrote in their recent release.

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