Posted on 02/25/2002 4:13:01 AM PST by takenoprisoner
AP Monday, February 25, 2002
RALEIGH, N.C. — A rural roadway became the scene of a deadly confrontation when a deputy sheriff mistakenly opened fire on two plain-clothed Army soldiers out on a training exercise, officials said.
Deputy Sheriff Randall Butler killed one soldier and wounded another during a traffic stop when the soldiers apparently tried to disarm him after assuming he was taking part in their exercise, officials said.
A release from the Army said the shooting ``resulted from an unfortunate case of mistaken identity and a breakdown of communications between the individuals involved.''
The soldiers were taking part Saturday in a role-playing exercise that is part of the Army's Special Forces Qualification Course.
While the Moore County Sheriff's Office was told a training exercise was under way, Special Operations spokesman Maj. Gary Kolb said the Army did not coordinate specifically with the sheriff's office and Butler was likely unaware of it.
``In this instance, they were not informed about this, because the scenario itself was not intended to draw attention of the local authorities,'' Kolb said.
No charges had been filed Sunday. Butler was placed on administrative leave with pay.
Kolb said the soldier's identities would not be released until relatives were notified. The wounded soldier was listed in serious condition at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst.
Kolb said the soldiers were carrying a disassembled M-4 carbine rifle in a bag when their vehicle was pulled over by Butler. It was unclear why the deputy pulled over their car.
``Both of the soldiers were dressed in civilian clothes and riding in a civilian vehicle with no indication of being in the military,'' a statement from the Moore County Sheriff's Office said. ``At the time of the incident the deputy believed that the two individuals intended on killing him.''
Messages left at the sheriff's department were not returned Sunday. In its release, the department said Butler was ``totally unaware'' of the exercise.
``One of the soldiers attempted to disarm the officer as the other was attempting to get a military weapon that the soldiers had in their possession,'' the sheriff's release said.
The two soldiers were participating in a reconnaissance mission in which they were to locate a target to be used in a future mission, Kolb said. Butler stopped the vehicle on a rural road near Robbins, about 25 miles from Fort Bragg.
They were in a vehicle driven by a civilian who was playing the role of a resident of a fictitious country, Kolb said. He wouldn't discuss further details of the incident because it was being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Army.
The training exercise, known as ``Robin Sage,'' is the 19-day final exam of the Special Forces Qualification Course. It tests skills in survival, tactics and dealing with people, as well as judgment, decision-making and ethics.
Robin Sage has been conducted in central North Carolina since the mid-1950s without incident, according to a release from the Army's John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
The Tampa Tribune identified the injured soldier as Sgt. Stephen Phelps, a former resident of Clearwater, Fla. His family learned about the shooting Saturday night when the sergeant's wife, Suzanne, called his mother.
``It's upset me bad,'' Phelps' grandmother Ann Wells told the newspaper on Sunday. ``I've just about stopped crying now. He's my angel.''
They're pretty tough on the guys who wash out.
Looks like the soliders failed in the judgment and decision-making parts of the test pretty badly.
Good question. Seems the military is conducting off post training more often like the urban assault exercises we have read about.
Seems to me this rural exercise though could have been executed within the confines of Ft Bragg where a tragedy like this could have been easily avoided.
No, but that is where the training has been traditionally employed.
When I did my infantry training at Camp Geiger in 69 all our training exercises were conducted on base. Mock nam villages were set up and darn realistic. And there were no uninformed civilian deputies around to interfer with our exercise... much less mistakenly shoot us in that process.
Different titles from different sources same subject. It happens. I did my best.
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