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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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October 4th,
2007 - Hearing will Decide if Winder Soldier is Court-Martialed |
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Hearing will Decide if
Winder Soldier is Court-Martialed Specialist Christopher P. Shore says he was ordered to kill Iraqi man,
but intentionaly missed By Jeffry Scott The Atlanta Journal-Constitution October 4, 2007 An Army soldier from Winder
faces the equivalent of a grand jury hearing Oct. 18 in Hawaii to decide
whether he will be court-martialed for a killing in Iraq. Specialist Christopher P.
Shore, 25, of Winder, and Sgt. 1st Class Trey A. Corrales, 34, of San
Antonio, were charged in the June 23 killing of an unidentified Iraqi while
on a mission in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk to clear houses suspected of
harboring a terrorist cell. According to Shore's
civilian attorney, Michael Waddington, of Augusta, Shore was ordered to shoot
the detainee, who had already been shot. Waddington said Shore fired his
rifle twice at close range but intentionally missed the man, who died later
at a hospital. Waddington could not be
reached for comment Thursday afternoon. Shore's military attorney, Maj.
Javier Rivera, confirmed that Shore's hearing is set for Oct. 18. According
to base spokesman Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly, the hearings for Shore and
Corrales are expected to last 2-3 days, based on the number of witnesses that
will be called. Shore and Corrales are
assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th
Infantry Regiment, which is part of the 25th Infantry Division based in
Hawaii. Army officials decided to delay the hearings until this month, when
the unit is being redeployed to Hawaii. Conviction on the charge carries a
possible death penalty. The night of the alleged
murder, Shore and Corrales had been airlifted on Black Hawk helicopters to al
Shaheed, near Kirkuk, to clear a series of houses. According to attorney
Waddington, other soldiers were already in the area searching the houses when
Shore's platoon arrived. As they tested four men inside a house for
explosives, one ran outside. From inside, Shore heard
shots being fired, Waddington said. Shore stepped outside and saw Corrales
standing before the bleeding suspect, who was on the ground. That is when
Corrales allegedly ordered Shore to "finish him off." The Army has declined to
release details of the incident, saying it is an ongoing investigation. Waddington said the Army
pathologist's report shows that the bullet wounds that fatally wounded the
detainee were not fired at close range. "The bottom line is that
[Shore's] bullet did not hit the guy, " Waddington said. He said the detainee,
described by the military as being of Middle Eastern descent, was shot five
times, including under his eye. He was evacuated by U.S. medics but died
later at a hospital. Corrales' civilian attorney,
Frank Spinner of Colorado Springs, Colo., could not be reached for comment. External link: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/10/04/soldier_1005.html |