One Soldier Dead, One Injured After Shooting - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

For friends and co-workers hoping for a quiet start to a long weekend, Thursday night quickly spirals out of control.

"It's almost like you woke up from a nightmare," said Mallory Carlson.

At around 11 p.m. a fight breaks out between neighbors on Holbert Dr. Two people are shot. And police are being careful.

"(We need to) find out all the details before we make any haste decisions," said Carroll Smith with Killeen Police.

22-year-old Jamie Schnider died. And a 21-year-old is in critical condition. Both are Fort Hood soldiers.

The man suspected of the shooting is in Killeen City Jail.

Friends of the suspect say the two victims came from a party and crossed the street to where they were hanging out, provoking a fight.

"They came across the street they came up the drive, they came across the yard," gestures Larry Cotterill.

Police believe the story, that the two victims and another man started a fight with the suspect at his house. And that's when things turn deadly.

"The business that happened was unfortunate...it was in self defense, I was present," Larry said.

Meanwhile everyone's waiting for news.

"We have several witnesses so we're going through all that right now," Smith said.

"It's terrifying, you know you witness something like that it's just unreal," said Mallory.

They say they're praying for the man in the hospital and also thinking of the other man's family. But they're standing by their friend.

"If the same set of circumstances happened again, I would defend my friend and he would defend me," Larry said.

And hope that he'll be cleared of wrong-doing by the end of what will be a very long weekend.