Half of those deaths have been ruled suicides. He called me and said, Mom, Ive got a gun to my head. He was repeatedly arrested for possession of untaxed liquor, failure to return rented property, and permitting a minor to consume alcohol. How they knew each other, the nature of their connection, remains a mystery. She sent him a text message and agreed to hear him out on condition they meet at Leshikars grave site. I would see him staring off in space a lot, thinking. On the Fourth of July, he took his son to see the fireworks at Fort Bragg. Crime-scene technicians would have photographed it on December 2nd, when they turned aside the nylon blanket he was wrapped in and saw him barefoot and shirtless, shot multiple times in the chest. Fort Bragg The cause of death is listed as homicide and the case is being investigated by the Army Criminal Investigation Command. Rachael Riley. In early 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic descended on the United States, his run-ins with the law became more frequent. Cumberland County sheriffs deputies responded to the scene. Sometimes when I would walk into Billys house, it was just everywhere., She personally observed, on two or three occasions, the same four guys cutting up and snorting lines of white powder. This led to a physical fight, a wrestling match on the driveway. Mount is survived by his wife and parents. That was the only drug he was for; everything else he was against. He wasnt looking for another rank or another award, Allen said. Sgt. Harp wrote: Fort Bragg soldiers have been turning up unresponsive in their barracks on a disturbingly regular basis since the beginning of 2020, including Caleb Smither, Terrance Salazar, Jamie Boger, Joshua Diamond, Matthew Disney, Mikel Rubino, Michael Hamilton, and numerous others who have not been named. Just because it was dismissed doesnt mean it didnt happen, says Ballard, who believes that military personnel are given special treatment within the criminal-justice system in the counties around Fort Bragg. Caleb Smither, 19, of Lubbock, Texas, died Jan. 28, 2020, in his barracks room on Fort Bragg. He never responded again., UPDATE: After this story went to press, a U.S. Army Special Operations Command spokesperson gave this statement to Rolling Stone regarding how the command handled Billy Lavignes legal trouble: Due to his length of service, Master Sgt. Master Sgt. July 17, 2021 (83 years old) View obituary. Its real strange, says Bill Lavigne Sr., father of the slain Delta Force soldier, that something like this can go on at Fort Bragg, and nobody seems to know nothing. It would be an exaggeration to say that Fayetteville must be a more dangerous duty station than Raqqa or Kandahar, and yet piecing together data provided by Col. Buccino, and previous Army disclosures to the McClatchy news agency, as well as reports in the local media, I count no fewer than 44 active-duty deaths at Fort Bragg during 2020. According to officials, 33 of the fatalities are of undetermined causes. Sgt. Now no one can look away.. He was just a boy, she quotes him as saying. 0:44. No way., Romero knows one of the other paratroopers who was on the camping trip. Spc. He told the county investigator that Leshikar had come at him with a screwdriver, leaving him no choice but to shoot in self-defense, supposedly for the protection of the children. It was late at night and she was out front smoking a cigarette. Fort Bragg Deaths: Senators Press Pentagon on Military Fort Bragg The Armys Criminal Investigative Command, or CID, also concluded that the homicide was justified, likewise for reasons that it refuses to make public. I dont know any soldier who has done the tours he had done that doesnt., That was certainly the case with Lavigne. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. After completing basic combat training and advanced individual training in 2019 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he was assigned to the 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, where he served as a combat engineer. Such a pigheaded, egotistical man was the first impression he made on his wife, Laura, a 39-year-old paralegal from Hawaii whose dad was a Marine. July 3, 2022 (91 years old) View obituary. I killed my best friend, he said, according to Patino. They say get a lawyer., I just dont know whats going on with our military right now, says Mabey. After releasing news of his death, LaVignes unit focused on his military service, which included multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of the Global War on Terrorism while assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Families want answers. The cause of his death is under investigation by the Fort Bragg Criminal Investigation Division. Jean Cruz De Leon,20, of Marrero, Louisiana, was killed in a Sept. 9 training accident when his parachute malfunctioned, according to a statement released by the 82nd Airborne Division. The modus operandi that investigators have shown in these cases is to shut out the public, decline to answer questions, apprehend no perpetrators. Though the offense was a felony, he was not charged. The bases spokesman, Col. Joe Buccino, acknowledged that illegal drug use seems to have been a common factor in all of the homicides that involved Fort Bragg soldiers, but emphasized that all but one of the killings pertained to the special-forces units at Fort Bragg, which he could not speak for. On a half dozen occasions since 2014, a Navy SEAL or a Green Beret has pleaded guilty to heavy-duty narcotics charges. It was his last hoorah, says Nicole, who spoke to her brother for a final time on St. Patricks Day. On a cold evening in late January, when I visit the approximate spot where he was found, the woods are perfectly still and quiet, with not even a bird chirping. Fort Bragg Army soldiers found dead in barracks Lavignes death.. Two days after Dumas and Lavigne were found dead, more details emerged on an earlier Fort Bragg killing: the death of Specialist Enrique Roman-Martinez, who had gone missing over Memorial Day weekend on a camping trip to the North Carolina shore with six of his fellow paratroopers. June 23, 2021. Details of Smithers death have not been released. Bragg that are still unexplained but many believe might be tied to the U.S. Armys policy of mandatory covid-19 vaccinations:. SHERIFFS REPORTS The following were compiled from reports prepared by the Mendocino County Sheriffs Office: BOOKED: Jason Colson, 34, of Fort Bragg, was arrested on Feb. 19 at 11 p.m. Based out of a high-security compound inside Fort Bragg, it has become a covert military within the military. I dont get intimidated by people easily, she says. We have not ruled anything in or out as the investigation continues.. We lost our friend, he told the dispatcher. In this one, he is sitting in what looks to be a restaurant booth, dressed in a gray vest and a purple dress shirt. 26 Fort Hood soldiers have died this year, officials say - KWTX The next day, he was indicted on two felony charges: harboring an escapee and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling place to manufacture a controlled substance. Her brother enlisted for a steady paycheck and for the GI Bill. Staff Sgt. On February 2nd, the Charlotte field office put out a bulletin seeking assistance from the public to establish a timeline of the two mens movements up until their deaths. But in each case, the charges were dismissed. I called every day for a month. Of fatal overdoses, how many were ruled a suicide? Weve been looking for him all day. Had it been properly looked into, she says, all the bodies and drugs that have come in the last two and a half years might have been avoided.. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, May 13th 2023 at the Veteran's Hall (360 N Harrison St, Fort Bragg, CA Here are some of the tragic deaths that have plagued the base in recent months: Pvt. Both had been killed by gunshots, and according to news reports, shell casings were scattered on the ground. Roman-Martinez had done multiple parachute jumps in the course of his training, but he was an HR specialist, a guy whose job it was to maintain personnel records. Image in illustration by Alamy. Leshikars killing was ruled a justifiable homicide, but Swain declines to say on what grounds investigators came to that conclusion. Villalon is survived by his mother of Chicago and father of Brownsville, Texas. It was out of control, says his best friends wife, Laura Leshikar. 3 Sarah Lewis, 34, was allegedly shot dead by her husband Staff Sgt Keith Lewis Credit: Facebook 3 Yet it looked as if he had been killed in his sleep. Fort Bragg Obituaries - Latest Obituaries in Fort Bragg, NC The colonel used to be involved in selection, he said, and in addition to superlative marksmanship, he would look for introversion and artistic ability in potential recruits. She also retrieved her Glock from the bedroom and stuck it under a couch cushion. There had to have been at least one. Law enforcement still has no known suspects in the case. Elite soldiers have access to whatever they want to get into: whores, guns, drugs, you name it, he writes. Cumberland County spokesman Sean Swain says he has no idea if Lavigne was drug tested, but seemed to think it unlikely since Lavigne was never arrested, even though he had just used his personal firearm, a .45-caliber handgun, to kill a decorated Green Beret. Its known from postmortem toxicology that Leshikar was taking Valium, tramadol, MDMA, and cocaine. A soulless expression would come over him, like he was looking through you, when he got to drinking, Nicole says. Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren, and three other senators are demanding answers from Defense Sec. Fort Bragg Editors Note: This report is limited to the latest information obtained by SOFREP about the death of MSG Lavigne and Timothy Dumas. Support local journalism with a subscription to The Fayetteville Observer. Its not just combat trauma and moral injury, says Naylor. Ive seen it. You can clearly see the moment a small black hole appears in the sheetrock, blowing out a cone of gypsum powder. The 172,000-acre Fort Bragg base is one of the world's largest military complexes with approximately 57,000 military personnel, 11,000 civilian employees and 23,000 family members. In his LinkedIn photo, Dumas looks fairly nondescript. Leshikar opened the hood of the car, a Honda Accord, and with the engine still hot, began to disassemble it. These incidents, the letter read, indicate a problem that may be underreported, and are a call for urgent action. Succession Recap: Logan Roy Makes Shock Return, Shiv and Tom Get Kinky Multiple people who knew Lavigne tell me that he regularly snorted cocaine, took MDMA, popped pills, and drank heavily. The Fort Bragg Murders At least 44 Fort Bragg soldiers died stateside in 2020 several of them were homicides. On May 9, 2018, roughly three months after Becky Kunzes death, Sarah Hartsfield fatally shot her onetime fianc in the large home they had moved to from Texas months before. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Carol Ann Brown to pay them a last tribute. Through the intercom she says that she is just as clueless as anyone else and that she and Dumas led separate lives.. In 2015, former SEAL James Matthews got pulled over in New Jersey towing a trailer loaded with $1.4 million worth of marijuana. According to Dumas wife, the nightclub doesnt exist anymore. U.S. and NC Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of U.S. Army Sgt. Pfc. deaths William J. Lavigne II, 37, and Timothy Dumas, 44. It makes me feel great, said Carole De Nola, when she learned of the letter. Special operation forces induct members into regiments at Fort Bragg. He tells me I should go smoke in the back because theres going to be a shooting.. Lavigne was entitled to a variety of due process protections. Some of them are really great. Aint got much faith in CID.. Fort Bragg Fort Bragg More: John Wayne helped pay for a Fort Bragg statue, theres a time capsule with JFK's letter and other tidbits about Fort Bragg's monuments. Villalon was captain of the physical fitness team and a member of the drill team in the Navy Junior ROTC program, said Allen, who was a teacher in the program for 18 years. Eric Christopher Hogan and Pfc. Cruz De Leon was an infantryman assigned to the divisions Company A, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Jessica Donati, the author of Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War, tells me that since 2014, the burden of maintaining the United States never-ending war in Afghanistan has shifted almost entirely onto the Green Berets, who have been used by successive administrations as a political tool to plug holes in policies that dont work, and to maintain the fiction that the United States has withdrawn from combat operations. Elizabeth Warren, Lisa Murkowski, John Cornyn, and Martin Heinrich were also signatories to the letter, which posed six questions to the Pentagon, starting with, How many active military service members overdosed from January 1, 2017 to present?, The letter referenced Rolling Stones most recent report, published in the September issue, on rising overdose deaths at Fort Bragg, and in the U.S. Army more generally. Joseph Zygarowski who died during a training exercise at Fort Bragg on April 19. Wives Slain In 6 Weeks At Fort Bragg The Fort Bragg soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan and Syria in support of Operations Freedoms Sentinel and Inherent Resolve. Have a nice day. , I go to the location listed on the incident report to learn more, and find four people, two men and two women, living in a one-bedroom apartment in a drab complex near Cross Creek. McLaughlin is survived by his wife and four children. After Sarah Hartsfield charged in husband's murder, other deaths Enrique was blind as fuck without his glasses, Romero says. Fort Bragg Roman-Martinez joined the Army in September 2016. Over the past 20 years of continuous war, from the snowy passes of the Hindu Kush to the desert scrublands of Somalia, JSOCs budget and autonomy have continuously grown, and so has the scope of its mission. Army Investigates Deaths of Green Beret and Veteran at Fort Bragg Estella doesnt know if he was still on the premises when the cops arrived. In 2016, he was assigned to the 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, where he served as a horizontal construction engineer and later as a squad leader. More: Fort Bragg paratrooper dies following accident in Syria. The 26 deaths so far this year, nears 2018 and 2017 full 12 month numbers of 28 and 29 respectively. He fell in love with what he was doing and decided he was going to make a career out of it, says his dad, who still lives in the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan where Billy grew up skateboarding and riding motocross. 0:04. The police came and he was arrested in possession of cocaine, a digital scale, a crack pipe, a revolver, a hunting rifle, a snub-nosed pistol, and a pump-action shotgun. In light of this disturbing trend, the letter reads, we write seeking a full understanding of the pattern of overdoses., Sen. Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts who has sponsored a number of bills to combat the opioid epidemic, is spearheading the oversight effort. Lt. Col. Val Moro, commander of 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, said those who served with Mount will mourn his loss. Sheriffs deputies took him to the station, but he was never placed under arrest or charged with a crime. User may use CAC to register and log in. He was in an IED blast. He had migraines, nightmares, personality changes., She still has his body in cold storage, in a freezer in Alaska, because the Army wont turn over his autopsy report or medical file, and she doesnt want to lose evidence that his brain was damaged from TBI or that he was medicated for PTSD. U.S. and NC Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of U.S. Army Sgt. Hearing her father call her name, she went and let him inside. Over the course of several months of correspondence, the public-affairs office eventually disclosed the number of homicides and suicides, but not deaths from accidents and illnesses, which would include drug overdoses. The 9mm round, fired from a Taurus Millennium G2, missed the boy by about 18 inches. No one at Fort Bragg will talk to me at all. 18h ago. Were still looking into it.. Fort Bragg He went out and bought a dress in his size, says Laura. Even if Leshikar had come at him with a screwdriver, Billy wouldnt just forget how to disarm somebody, Nicole says.
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