Fort Bragg Shooting: Suspect Was Facing Court Martial

The identity of the Army soldier suspected of killing his battalion commander in a shooting at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Thursday still hasn’t been released, but officials have released new details that may give us an idea of the shooter’s motive.

According to officials, the unnamed Army specialist, who had served for eight years, was facing court martial for allegedly stealing a tool box worth $1700 from Fort Bragg. If found guilty of the crime, the Army soldier could have been dishonorably discharged from service.

“Taking care of the soldiers in the unit and their families is our number one priority at this time, while we simultaneously work the investigation surrounding this terrible tragedy,” said Lieutenant General Daniel Allyn, the commander at Fort Bragg

The identity of the victim of the fatal Fort Bragg shooting has also not yet been identified, pending notification of their next of kin.

The battalion commander had gathered his unit together for a safety briefing, where the commander was to give a 15-minute lecture on staying safe for the 4th of July weekend. During the briefing, the suspect walked up to his commander and shot him in the head three times, and twice in the chest. The specialist was then critically injured by a gunshot to the head after soldiers rushed him, and another, 22-year-old specialist Michael Latham, suffered a non-life threatening injury.