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A hunting trip turned deadly when an 18-year-old high school football star was accidentally shot dead by his  friend.

Nate Maki’s body was found in a pickup truck near Bowie, Texas on Saturday night after his 17-year-old friend, Michael Underwood, shot him in the head once with a rifle. The two used the truck, which belonged to Underwood’s grandfather, to go camping with two female friends in the field before a day of hunting.

After the shooting, Underwood alerted the authorities who rushed Maki to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. But it was what authorities found at the scene that helped them piece together what happened – alcohol.

Underwood was arrested at the scene and charged with a minor for alcohol consumption but freed on bail the next day. Authorities are investigating who provided the teenagers with the alcohol.

The two teenage girls who were camping with the boys fled the scene after the shooting.

“Their best friend just died,” Sheriff Paul Cunningham said, CBSDFW reported. “There was alcohol involved. They were scared and just fled the scene. That’s not uncommon.”

Cunningham said that Underwood described the shooting as a tragic accident, though he did not reveal exactly how the gun went off.

“At this time there’s no evidence of this being an intentional shooting, and it’s an extreme tragedy to all those involved,” he said.

The investigation continues. Our condolences and prayers to Maki’s family and friends.

SOURCE: Daily Mail