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James Turner: 'QUICK DRAW' competition leaves one man dead and childhood friend shattered

Turner, who turned himself in, was charged with involuntary manslaughter for killing his friend during a game of quick draw with loaded guns, as per deputies

BY SRIJAL SHARMA

UPDATED OCT 3, 2022

James Turner is facing charges after he accidentally killed his friend during a 'quick draw' gun competition (Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office)

GREER, SOUTH CAROLINA: A "quick draw" gun contest went horribly wrong when a young man shot his friend dead accidentally. On September 23, 2022, James Turner and Raelan Hamilton, both 21, were having a firearm contest at a residence in Greer, South Carolina. The childhood friends were reportedly engaged in a competition to find out who could draw the weapon from the holster quicker than the other.

According to a report by the Mirror, on the night of the fateful incident at a home on Red Raven Drive in Greer, the two friends had already tested each other fourteen times. However, at around 9:30 pm, Turner contacted the police to report that he had accidentally shot his friend Hamilton "due to muscle memory" when he pulled the trigger. The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office later revealed that Hamilton "died from a single gunshot wound."

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Both Turner and a relative of Hamilton gave statements that matched up, as per reports. Police have physical evidence that corroborates both of their accounts. A spokesperson for the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said, “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."

As per WYFF4, Turner turned himself in on Tuesday morning, September 27, and was charged with involuntary manslaughter for shooting and killing his friend in a game of quick draw with loaded guns, the deputies said.

The unintentional shooting takes place only a few days after a guy in Michigan was accused of firing at an elderly neighbor, 84, over a disagreement about abortion. Richard Alan Harvey, 74, claims that he shot the woman in the shoulder by mistake when she was protesting abortion rights on the outskirts of Michigan. The woman was speaking out against the rights of women to get abortions. On Friday, prosecutors from Ionia county, Michigan, filed one case of assault with felonious assault, one count of negligent discharge of a pistol causing harm, and one count of reckless use of a firearm against Richard. According to the police, the woman was working as a volunteer for an organization that was going door-to-door in November to persuade voters to oppose a measure that would safeguard abortion rights in Michigan.