Authorities say a groom-to-be accidentally shot and killed his best man late last month after the two friends went skunk hunting at an Arizona campground.

The gunman, whose identity has not yet been released, thought his gun was empty when he pulled the trigger and fired a .22-caliber bullet into his comrade’s stomach at the United Christian Youth Camp in Prescott on July 26, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.

The victim, identified by AZ Family as 22-year-old Jack Creed of Peoria, was taken to a nearby hospital where his condition was initially stabilized. He succumbed to his injuries hours later after complications during a flight to a Phoenix hospital and after undergoing surgery, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office said the couple was “hunting skunks” in a remote part of the campground before ending their search around 10:30 p.m., the outlet reported.

The groom-to-be pulled the cocking lever back several times before he “thought” the gun was empty, the sheriff’s office said.

“During the initial investigation, officers learned that the victim would be the shooter’s best man at his upcoming wedding,” the sheriff’s office said.

Preliminary investigations indicated the shooter showed no signs of impairment or alcohol consumption, authorities said.

The case is still under investigation, law enforcement officials said last week.