Quick-draw competition between friends leaves 1 dead, deputies say

GREER, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) – A quick-draw competition between friends in South Carolina left one man dead, officials said.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to a shooting at a home on Friday evening.

According to the sheriff’s office, James Turner and Raelan Hamilton, both 21, have been friends since middle school. Both were gun enthusiasts and had done a quick-draw competition to see who was the fastest approximately 14 times that night.

On the 15th time, Turner said he accidentally chambered a round from the clip into his gun “due to muscle memory” and pulled the trigger, according to the sheriff’s office.

Hamilton died from a single gunshot wound.

Turner and a family member gave consistent statements about the shooting, and deputies said physical evidence at the scene corroborated their stories.

The solicitor’s office determined there was probable cause to charge Turner with involuntary manslaughter.