Gabby Hayes
Member
Not much one can say about this tragic story. Two lives destroyed by stupidity.
"To prove the weapon was unloaded, [LT] Davis pointed it at [Sgt] Tackett and fired ..."
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/local/12879403.htm
"To prove the weapon was unloaded, [LT] Davis pointed it at [Sgt] Tackett and fired ..."
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/local/12879403.htm
WHITEHOUSE - An Eastern Kentucky soldier killed in Iraq was shot by an American officer who pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and was sentenced to 30 months at a military prison, according to the military.
Sgt. Joseph Tackett's death on June 23 was one of 10 homicides since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003. The Pentagon hasn't released an official report on the death, but officials said the 22-year-old was killed by a lieutenant who pointed his M-16 rifle at Tackett in a "safe haven," a place where loaded weapons are forbidden.
"He was killed by a stupid, senseless, irresponsible act," said his mother, Kathy Tackett, 52, a food service manager.
At a court-martial, Lt. Willie Davis pleaded guilty Aug. 31 to negligent homicide and negligent dereliction to clear his weapon and maintain muzzle awareness, said Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, spokesman for the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga.
The maximum sentence for the crime is 45 months in prison. Davis, of Lithonia, Ga., was sentenced to 30 months at a military prison at Fort Knox and was discharged from the Army, Kent said.
The Tacketts, from Johnson County, said Davis should have received the maximum sentence.
"To me, that's not enough punishment," said Wendell Tackett, 53, a house builder. "But what I want most from him is an apology."
Wendell Tackett said he and wife only recently learned that Davis is being held in Kentucky and have been going through military channels to try to talk to him.
Davis declined an interview request and Davis' family could not be reached for comment.
In an e-mail to the Tacketts, Col. Daniel Pinnell, Tackett's battalion commander, said he and witnesses to the shooting didn't suspect "any malicious intent" on Davis' part.
Tackett's shooting occurred in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, a walled compound where soldiers can relax and let others protect them, Fort Stewart spokesman Rich Olson said. Pinnell said in his e-mail that Tackett was shot during a nightly briefing with his and Davis' platoon.
Kathy Tackett said military officials told her the shooting occurred in the basement of one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, which was being used as living quarters.
"They said Lt. Davis came in carrying his weapon and willingly pulled the trigger on a gun he thought was empty," Kathy Tackett said.
Other soldiers asked Davis why he was bringing a weapon into the briefing, against the rules, Kathy Tackett said she was told. To prove the weapon was unloaded, Davis pointed it at Tackett and fired, she said.
The Army's casualty report on Tackett says he died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Wendell Tackett said he hopes the Army's official report provides more details, including why Davis' gun was loaded, why its safety was off, and why Davis didn't fire at the ceiling.
He said military officials told him the report would be completed by early next year.
"It's hard to know why these procedures weren't followed," Wendell Tackett said. "Not knowing exactly how this happened is the worst part."
Tackett, a 2000 graduate of Johnson County Central High School, felt a duty to enlist after 9/11, his mother said.
He was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003. After more than a year at Fort Stewart, he was deployed again in January.
Wendell Tackett said his son's death has soured him on the military.