Marine sniper says he shot Syrians to save his men

Tue Jul 1, 2008 9:42 PM EDT
advertisement

CAMP PENDLETON — A Marine sniper charged in the shooting deaths of two Syrians told a military court Wednesday he believed he was protecting his troops from a roadside bomb.

Sgt. John Winnick II is charged with two counts of voluntary manslaughter and failing to adhere to the military's rules of engagement by firing without reasonable certainty that his targets were hostile.

The June 2007 shooting began after a soda delivery truck stopped near a sniper team hideout on a busy road in Iraq's western Anbar province, where roadside bombs were a common threat.

Winnick fired a fatal sniper round at a man who hopped out of the cab, removed a container or bag from a side compartment, and appeared to begin digging at the ground, according to testimony from his comrades. He then killed a second man with a shotgun after the team stormed out of their hiding place.

A cursory search of the soda truck after the shooting did not reveal any bomb-making material.

"I did this action in defense of my Marines," Winnick told Marine investigating officer Capt. Jeffrey King. "I didn't want them to end up like other Marines I have seen."

King will recommend to Marine commanders whether there is enough evidence to bring the 24-year-old to court-martial.

Winnick faces up to 40 years in prison and dishonorable discharge if he is tried and convicted on all counts, which also include charges of aggravated assault against two truck passengers who were injured in the firefight.

Several other men on the team were reprimanded after the shootings, according to prosecutors.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
  • 1 Vote
  • Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.

Back To Top

Published to:

What's this?
Who's leading the conversation?
This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.
0.5
{"commentId":2100096,"authorDomain":"kimmy123"}
kiml

"I don't want to die".
This is just the way Bush wants the US to react
End of sarcasm.
This soldier didn't want to die.
But an innocent civilian died.
Who is right?
Bush terrorism or the truth?
Let the truth out.

{"commentId":2100096,"threadId":"304063","contentId":"1630835","authorDomain":"kimmy123"}
    Reply#1 - Tue Jul 1, 2008 10:22 PM EDT
    {"commentId":2100222,"authorDomain":"awlknight"}
    Aent Orange

    This is outrageous! We need to understand that war is not a parlor game. War is about death and destruction. These 2 Syrians should have been in Syria, not in the Iraq war zone. This kind of nonsense is why we lose a war. We were driven out of Viet Nam because panty-waisted liberals insisted on a humane war. Now we're losing again because we want to be humane. This idea of criminal prosecution of troops who do their job is just unbelievable. And I can not adequately express my contempt for JAG officers who prosecute such asinine cases. In this case someone decided the truck posed no danger. How can he say that when the truck was not investigated. We are causing soldiers and marines to get killed because they hesitate to shoot. President Bush sent them in harm's way and now they aren't allowed to defend themselves? And I do think Viet Nam was wrong and Iraq is a mistake, but if our warriors are sent to fight, they must be allowed to fight. There will be innocent civilian casualties in any battle where a cowardly enemy hides among civilians.

    {"commentId":2100222,"threadId":"304063","contentId":"1630835","authorDomain":"awlknight"}
      Reply#2 - Tue Jul 1, 2008 10:40 PM EDT
      {"canLink":false,"threadId":"304063","isPrivate":false}
      Leave a Comment:
      You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
      Newsvine Privacy Statement
      As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.
      {"threadId":"304063","contentId":"1630835"}
      Start TrackingStart Tracking
      Stop TrackingStop Tracking
      Back To Top | Front Page