Fort Bliss soldier shot, wounded after allegedly causing disturbance, pointing gun at Military Police
FORT BLISS, Texas -- Military Police shot and wounded a soldier causing a disturbance early Tuesday on post at Fort Bliss, Army officials said.
The incident took place just after midnight.
Fort Bliss authorities said the 20-year-old wounded soldier, who was an active duty infantryman assigned to the 1st Armored Division, was being treated for his injuries at an El Paso hospital. He was listed in stable condition as of Tuesday afternoon.
Officials said the soldier, who arrived at Fort Bliss three weeks ago for his first duty assignment after having enlisted nine months ago, "presented an armed direct threat to law enforcement by allegedly pointing a handgun at Military Police officers and was shot."
The confrontation with five MPs of various experience levels occurred when they responded to a report of a disturbance taking place, officials said.
The soldier had summoned a ride-share driver to his barracks for a trip off-base, officials said, and that driver asked another person at the post to summon the MPs when the soldier behaved "erratically."
When asked to elaborate on the erratic behavior, spokeswoman Lt. Col. Allie Payne declined to comment further, but said no motive had been determined for the soldier's actions.
Special agents with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command were probing the shooting to determine whether it was justified and whether any criminal charges would be filed against the wounded soldier.
That probe was expected to take about two weeks, according to Payne, who said agents had the wounded soldier's handgun in their possession as evidence. She indicated it was "not a government-issued weapon."
Aside from the hospitalized soldier, officials said no one else was injured in the incident. The Army said it was withholding the identify and hometown of the soldier to protect his family's privacy.
You can watch the entire Fort Bliss briefing on the shooting in the video player below.
