McClatchy Newspapers, (MCT) –
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — One soldier was fatally wounded and two others injured in a shooting at Fort Bragg on Thursday afternoon.
During a unit safety briefing around 3:30 p.m., a soldier shot and killed another member of the unit before turning the gun on himself, according to Fort Bragg officials. A third soldier nearby was also “slightly” injured.
NBC News, citing a “senior U.S. defense official,” reported Thursday evening that the dead soldier was a battalion commander.
A spokesman for Fort Bragg earlier had said that the names and ranks of the three soldiers, all members of the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, had not been released, pending notification of their families. Benjamin Abel, of Fort Bragg Public Affairs, said it would be Friday or Saturday before that information would be made public.
The injured shooter is in custody, Col. Kevin Arata, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg spokesman, said in a news briefing Thursday afternoon, and Fort Bragg was not closed because of the incident.
“This is a tragedy for our community,” Arata said. “We don’t yet know the reasons for the shooting, but are working with the unit and the affected families to help them through this extremely difficult period.”
Special agents from the Army Criminal Investigation Command were on the scene and had begun an investigation.
