Tragic 21st Birthday Party: Man Commits Suicide Minutes After Shooting Best Friend

Zachary Woodcock was all set to celebrate his 21st birthday at his home in a Detroit suburb on Friday night. He had friends over—including his best friend, Richard Cody Skillman, 21—and the alcohol was flowing.  

It was a typical bash…until the first deadly shot was fired at about 10 p.m.

The unmistakable sound reached Woodcock’s neighbors in the apartment complex. A woman who did not want to be identified on the news said, “I heard the gun pop off. I heard yelling and screaming, and I came down to see if I could assist anybody.”

But it was too late. The first victim was already dead, said Saginaw County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Gomez.

Sometime during the party Skillman and Woodcock went into the bedroom, where a cache of guns was kept. No one is sure what happened in the room, as the only two inside are now dead.

It’s assumed Woodcock was playing with, or otherwise mishandling, the loaded weapon. “The handgun went off and struck Mr. Skillman in the chest,” Gomez said.

Gomez told WJRT-TV that medical aid was given to Skillman, but the young man was killed on the scene.

A distraught and grieving Woodcock shot and killed himself minutes later, after stepping outside. The party guests “heard a shot, walked out and there he was,” Gomez said. It’s not clear whether he used the same gun that had killed his friend.

Woodcock was taken to the hospital immediately, but he died over the weekend.

“They were each armed with multiple guns,” Gomez said. Approximately 10 firearms were removed from the apartment and Skillman’s car, which was parked at the complex.

“Anytime there is alcohol involved and guns, that is a bad mix and almost nothing good is ever going to come of it,” Gomez said.

What a tragic and senseless way for these two young men to have lost their lives. Our hearts go out to their families.