Airman shot while 'playing' with firearm

CLOVIS — Fourth of July festivities took a violent turn for two Cannon Air Force Base airmen celebrating the holiday into the early hours of Thursday morning in Clovis, officials say.

A 23-year old man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a caller reported him shot in the head while the two were drinking and “playing” with a gun, according to a news release from Clovis Police Department.

“The 911 caller stated he had a friend ‘playing’ with a firearm,” said the release. “The caller stated they had been consuming alcoholic beverages and his ‘friend’ had been shot in the head.”

Officers were dispatched just after 2 a.m. to a residence at Paseo Village in Clovis’ northeast side. The injured man was transported first to Plains Regional Medical Center and later to a hospital near Lubbock, said the release.

The injured man remained Thursday in stable yet critical condition, a man who said he was the victim's cousin told The News.

“Clovis PD responded to an incident that took place off-base involving two Airmen assigned to Cannon AFB early this (Thursday) morning,” the base’s media chief John Rebello told The News in an email responding to questions about the shooting. “To avoid jeopardizing the integrity of an ongoing law enforcement investigation, no further information is presently available.”

Clovis police did not respond Thursday to multiple messages from The News as to the identities of those involved or whether criminal charges were pending. The investigation is ongoing, said their release Thursday morning.

District Attorney Andrea Reeb said Thursday afternoon that no charges had been filed in connection with the incident.

Neighbors at Paseo Village on Thursday identified the location of the incident to The News and said men were outside the house and celebrating. Beer bottles and spent fireworks were visible from the driveway, but nobody answered the door late Thursday afternoon.