A St. Edward’s University student has been charged with manslaughter after shooting and killing his friend early Monday, according to Austin Police.

Fischer Hoisington, 24, was celebrating a joint birthday with roommate Aaron Moore, 24, late Sunday into Monday, at their apartment in the Austin City Lights Apartments at 501 E. Stassney Lane.

The two men were handling a gun when Hoisington pointed it towards Moore and, at some point, pulled the trigger, striking Moore in the chest, according to the APD incident report. He later told the police he thought the gun was unloaded.

Emergency medical workers were unable to revive Moore. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Hoisington’s bond is set at $10,000. Manslaughter is a second degree felony.

The two men had been jointly celebrating their Dec. 12 birthdays with beer, wine and video games, according to the report. At 1:11 a.m., a man named “Fisher” placed a 911 call and reported that, “his friend had a loaded gun inside the apartment and was showing it off.”  

Police Sgt. Brian Robinson was among the first officers to arrive on the scene. When he entered the apartment, “he was met by Hoisington, who was walking out of the apartment,” according to the report.

“Officer Robinson asked Hoisington what happened. Hoisington told Officer Robinson that he and his friend Aaron Moore were celebrating their birthdays and that they had been drinking wine and beer. He told Officer Robinson that they had been playing with a 9mm handgun and posing with it and simulating shooting one another and clocking the slide,” according to the report. “Hoisington further advised that the gun was placed on top of a counter and approximately 2-5 minutes later, he picked it up and started to point the gun in the victim’s direction. Hoisington told Officer Robinson that the victim said, ‘Hey, the gun is cocked.’ Hoisington stated that he pulled the trigger a little as the victim was saying that, and the gun went off,” according to the report.

Police also found a Glock pistol and ammunition in a drawer, according the report. Hoisington told police that when he and Moore got together, “they would mess with guns.”

Matthew Dechant, a friend of both Moore and Hoisington, says the two men had been friends since childhood and he cannot imagine Hoisington intentionally harming Moore.

“What the news says about them drinking and playing video games together, that’s typical. But not the gun part. I cannot imagine him doing that on purpose,” Dechant said. “I 100 percent believe it was an accident.” 

Hoisington is enrolled at St. Edward’s, said Mischelle Diaz, director of communications. He is formerly a trainer with athletics. According to his LinkedIn account, he is majoring in kinesiology with an emphasis on athletic training and pre-physical therapy.

“This is a tragic set of circumstances for everyone involved,” Diaz said. “Our prayers go out to family, friends and everyone who is grieving this situation.”

Detectives ask that anyone with information to call the Homicide Tip Line: 512-477-3588 or Crime Stoppers: 512-472-TIPS.