Christopher P. Shore

Christopher P. Shore is a Specialist in the U.S. military, originally from Winder, Georgia. He has been charged with the June 23, 2007 premeditated murder of an Iraqi.

Shore claimed the Iraqi was suspected of firing at a US helicopter, but was apparently unarmed at the time of his death. Shore says he was ordered to fire at the Iraqi by Trey A. Corrales but denied killing the man, saying he had intentionally missed him.

U.S. military member Trey A. Corrales (Sergeant First Class) of San Antonio, Texas, is also implicated in the homicide and charged with murder.

The U.S. military announced Thursday, July 19, 2007, that Trey A. Corrales and Christopher P. Shore have been charged with the premeditated murder of an Iraqi, and battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Michael Browder has been relieved of command by Major General Benjamin R. Mixon, the senior officer in northern Iraq. The U.S. military made this decision to relieve Michael Browder of his command because of the “"totality of the circumstances surrounding this incident, and due to a lack of confidence in his ability to command effectively." Browder, although connected to the case, is not a suspect and has not currently been charged.

The alleged murder occurred June 23, 2007, near the northern city of Kirkuk, 160 miles north of Baghdad. U.S. military officials said that investigators began examining the case after they were informed of suspicious circumstances by other soldiers from the same military unit.

The soldiers are assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, which is part of the 25th Infantry Division based in Hawaii. The unit is part of the Multinational Division - North. (see: Multinational Force Iraq)

On 21st February 2008, Shore's civilian court martial defense lawyer, Michael Waddington and Army defense lawyer Major Javier Rivera fought the murder charge in front of an Army jury of officers and enlisted soldiers. SPC Shore was acquitted of murder and convicted of discharging his weapon near the detainee (assault). He was sentenced to 120 days in jail, a reprimand, a 2 rank reduction, and no discharge. Shore will continue to serve in the U.S. Army.

After 60 days of confinement, the commander of the 25th Infantry Division, Brig. General Michael Bednarek, released SPC Shore from prison and returned him to duty. The General deferred the sentence and let Shore out of prison after serving 72 days. On May 21, 2008, Brig. General Bednarek reduced Shore's conviction to simple assault, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of 90 jails in jail. The change erased the soldier’s felony record. The general also reduced Shore's jail time to "time-served" and restored Shore to his former rank of Specialist. At the end of May 2008, Shore was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and continues to serve as an Army Scout.

[ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7256009.stm BBC NEWS | Americas | US conviction over Iraq killing ] ]

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References

External links

# http://abqtrib.com/news/2007/jul/19/soldiers-facing-murder-charges-stemming-iraq-event/
# http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/world/middleeast/19cnd-iraq.html
# [http://www.ucmjdefense.com Michael Waddington - Court Martial Lawyer Law Firm Web Site.]
# [http://www.ajc.com/health/content/metro/stories/2008/02/20/Soldier_CourtMartial_A0822.html Winder soldier sentenced to 120 days for Iraqi's death]
# [http://www.ucmjdefense.com/shore14.html Georgia soldier released while clemency weighed - Reprint from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - May 3, 2008]
# [http://www.ucmjdefense.com/shore15.html Charge, Sentence reduced for Specialist tried in Iraqi death - Reprint from The Associated Press - May 21, 2008]