Monday, March 12, 2007

CDN soldier charged with manslaughter

coincidence that this story appears the same day that this article does:
Dead soldier's dad seeks answers
Told virtually nothing seven months after apparent accidental shooting


Canadian soldier charged with manslaughter
Globe and Mail 12/03/07

A Canadian soldier has been charged with manslaughter in the death Master Corporal Jeffrey Scott Walsh in Afghanistan last August.

Master Corporal Robbie Fraser of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was also charged by military police with negligent performance of duty, the Department of National Defence said in a news release Monday.

MCpl. Fraser is stationed at Canadian Forces Base Shilo, Man.,

Around noon on Aug. 9, 2006, MCpl. Walsh was killed when he was accidentally shot by a fellow Canadian Forces soldier in a crowded G-Wagon while returning from a patrol. His death occurred just six days after redeployment on his second tour of duty.

MCpl. Walsh's father Ben, who lives in Regina, says he was told his son died when another soldier's gun discharged from inside the jeep, hitting his son with one fatal shot.

Officials at the base in Shilo confirmed that the accused soldier is back at his home base but said it would be inappropriate to comment on the matter before it goes to trial.

Last week, another Canadian soldier, Corporal Kevin Megeney, was killed by an apparent accidental discharge, this one inside his tent on the base in Kandahar.

With a report from Canadian Press

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