A 22-year-old Navy SEAL accidentally shot himself in the head Thursday with a gun that he thought was unloaded.

San Diego Police Department Officer Frank Cali said that the SEAL had been drinking with a woman at a bar. After returning to his Pacific Beach home, he had tried to convince the woman that his 9 mm pistol was safe to handle by putting it to his head and pulling the trigger.

ADVERTISEMENT

The man was later identified as Geno Clayton, the son of a local businessman. While authorities initially reported that Clayton had died in the accident, he is now on life support.

Just in the past week, Clayton had been assigned to a SEAL team after completing the SEAL training course.

Watch this video from WYTV, broadcast Jan. 5, 2012.