COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Service: Casualties
Marine Charged in Shooting
Associated Press
May 03, 2007
SAN
DIEGO - A U.S. Marine has been charged with manslaughter and
dereliction of duty in the accidental shooting death of a comrade
during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton last year, according to a
report.
Sgt. Caleb P. Hohman is accused of failing to remove live ammunition
from his rifle and replace it with blanks for the Oct. 30 exercise.
Authorities say Hohman shot 22-year-old Sgt. Seth M. Algrim twice.
Investigators recommended Hohman be charged with negligent homicide, but he was charged with manslaughter.
The Marine Corps could also take administrative action against several
other Marines for supervisory and safety failures, according to the
report, released Tuesday.
"The death was the result of individual and small-unit negligence and a
lack of supervision, " Maj. Gen. John Paxton Jr. wrote in the report.
"The tragedy could have been prevented."
Investigators found a "declining respect" at Pendleton for ammunition
that is not accounted for. That mind-set likely formed in the Anbar
province of Iraq, where members of the battalion did combat tours and
where accountability of ammunition "has dulled," the report said.
Paxton recommended a review of live-fire safety and training procedures at Pendleton.
The report recounts events that led to Algrim's death, beginning 10
days before the shooting, when Hohman, 23, became ill during a training
exercise with live ammunition.
Hohman left his rifle in his platoon's tent and was treated in the
emergency room at Camp Pendleton's hospital. His rifle was moved from
the tent to the site of the next training exercise, an urban-combat
simulation with blank bullets, but no one checked to see whether the
gun was still loaded.
On the night of the exercise, Algrim was playing the role of an
insurgent. Hohman shot Algrim once in the arm and once in the head,
killing him instantly, the report said.
Marine spokesman Capt. Mike Alvarez could not confirm where Hohman is stationed or whether he has an attorney.
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