Posted on 05/12/2009 7:00:22 AM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. soldier who fired on fellow troops in Iraq has been identified as Army Sgt. John Russell, and he's been charged with five counts of murder, a military spokesman said Tuesday.
Russell killed five people when he fired on other troops at a stress clinic at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad International Airport, U.S. officials said.
Along with five counts of murder, Russell also was charged with one count of aggravated assault, said Maj. Gen. David Perkins, who briefed reporters in Baghdad.
Russell is on his third tour in Iraq. He's with the 54th Engineering Battalion, based in Germany. He is in military police custody at Camp Victory.
There are no immediate insights on a motive, Perkins said.
The military is conducting a criminal investigation and another probe that explores whether the shootings could have been prevented, Perkins said.
Among the five killed, two were on the staff of the clinic -- one from the Army and the other from the Navy. Both were with the 55th Medical Company. The other three were enlisted soldiers. None of the victims have been identified.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Argh.
As a Combat Engineer myself, I hang my head in shame.
John Russell. Hmmm....
Why are there firearms at a stress center?
Third tour
God Bless the people who have pulled their share of the defense burden 3 times over
John Russell doesn’t sound like the name of a convert to the Religion of Peace, so I’ve got to wonder why the long delay in releasing his identity.
This whole thing is just heart breaking.
Sad indeed...no need for you to hang your hang.
That was his "slave name", what did he change it to?
Why are there firearms there?
Because they are in a warzone, potentially no more than a few minutes from Iraqi terrorists breaking in and shooting them.
I can’t imagine having a loved one serving in a war zone be gunned down by a fellow soldier. How senseless.
The Military works slower than the MSM.
Maybe the State Dept. needed time to change his name back. /s
sad ping
Oh, please.
_______________________________________
I bet a hundred bucks you're off base.
My first thought when I heard the story was Private Joker from Full Metal Jacket.
I have a feeling this is going to be some kind of hate crime...the killer obviously snapped and targeted the clinic as a source of his problems. I find it interesting that the clinic had multiple patients there at the same time. Leads me to believe that it was a walk-in clinic for anyone who feels they need help. Type of place that makes a great out when there is work to be done. I’ll even bet the patients did not have to go through their chain of command before going to the clinic. Can you imagine if we had these clinics in England in May 1944...they would have been full.
I wonder when we will learn it is actually “John Russell Muhammed.” Kinda like John Allen Muhammed: AKA “The Beltway Sniper.”
It’s not implied he’s muslim. Sounds like he was being treated for mental problems. He broke down and killed people.
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