A 17-year-old boy in south Texas died after firing a single shot that ricocheted off a butane tank and hit him in the head, the Monitor in McAllen, Texas, reported.
Israel Torres, along with his father and brother had been in the backyard of a home in McAllen, and all three had been drinking prior to the incident, authorities said.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said Torres fired the shot with a handgun after trying to persuade his girlfriend to to take a shot, the paper reported.
"All three are pretty drunk when someone pulls a .380-caliber, semi-automatic and shoots it into the backyard," Trevino told reporters. "The 17-year-old gets it and tells his girlfriend, here, look, pull the trigger."
When she refused, Torres pulled out the gun's magazine and fired a single round into the tank, the paper reported "He fires one time and shoots himself in the head," Trevino told The Monitor.
Torres' father initially told police they heard a gunshot and saw him fall to the ground. After some questioning, he told a different story, the paper reported. Investigators didn't find any reason to suspect foul play and haven't arrested anyone, but are looking into whether the father bears any criminal responsibility.
The family is in the U.S. illegally for at least several years, Trevino said.
McAllen is just a few miles from the border.
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TXT 24
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