By The airman that took a 9mm gun off post and threatened to kill himself has been jailed for his actions:
An Air Force police officer sentenced to jail Thursday for taking a military handgun off base said it was the weapon’s fierce recoil that made him decide against killing himself with it.
Airman 1st Class Charles Tyrone Walker Jr., of Osan’s 51st Security Forces Squadron, was sentenced Thursday to 100 days in jail and reduction to E-1, the military’s lowest pay grade. The sentence came after he pleaded guilty to taking the 9 mm Beretta in January and firing it inside an apartment in Pyeongtaek.
“I had intent to harm myself,” Walker told military judge Col. Mark L. Allred.
“I discharged the weapon to feel the recoil, to see if it was going to change my mind about whether I was going to commit suicide. And it did.”
He’d wanted to see “whether I had the nerve to commit suicide.”
In an agreement with prosecutors, Walker pleaded guilty to wrongful appropriation of a handgun belonging to the U.S. Air Force, carrying a concealed weapon, and willful discharge of a firearm under such circumstances as to endanger human life. [Stars & Stripes]
The airman wanted to kill himself because of marital problems, which is the main reason why I see servicemembers wanting to harm themselves. What I wondered about the most was how the guy got the hand gun while off duty and here is how:
That night, Walker went to his unit arms room and tricked the armorer into letting him check out the weapon by claiming falsely that he needed it because he’d been assigned extra duty.
When soldiers go on extra duty they don’t need a weapon and 30 rounds of ammunition. I am willing to bet the unit armorer got slammed over this.
1:32 pm on April 7th, 2009 1
I wonder why he needed 30 rounds for a suicide attempt?
And what responsibility/accountability for the airman who accompanied him to the bars?
I laughed when I read the part about him being talked back to base and told how to avoid the KNP roadblocks. Wonder how the KNP felt about that?
Anyway, probably best outcome possible under the cirucmstances. Hope this guy gets the help he needs and goes on to have fulfilling life.
3:38 pm on April 7th, 2009 2
?
What is the standard issue for a member of the Security Forces while conducting patrol? If it's 30 rounds, then maybe he requested 30 rounds because he didn't want to look suspicious by requesting something other than the standard issue. And if 30 is the standard issue, he probably didn't need to request it – the armorer just hands you the standard issue and that's that.
9:13 pm on April 7th, 2009 3
"Yep. Extra duty tonight. Guess I'll be havin' one of those M9s. No, no, no… you can keep that extra mag. I only need 1 round. Say, do you know if these things have much of a kick? Oooo… better make it 2 rounds.
9:32 pm on April 7th, 2009 4
The dumb ass should have offed himself! Then oh no blame it on the filipinas in the ville or the Koreans…or Glenn Beck or Alex Jones or our saviour Obama. (if you don't get these references then you are very closed minded) hahahahahah!
9:42 pm on April 7th, 2009 5
Asking for a pistol and a single round of ammunition might set off some bells.
Is standing guard or going on additional patrols routinely administered extra duty for troublesome AF SPs?
2:35 am on April 8th, 2009 6
Marital Problems humm.
I was always told that a "wife" is a good support system for a soldier. But of course, I had seen enough of that "support" to know that was a load of crap.
3:31 am on April 8th, 2009 7
Maybe he should have shot his wife!!!
2:34 pm on October 5th, 2010 8
well the whole truth is he was mad that his wife left him cuz he was abusive and he was goin to go after her, yes the armorer did get slammed for this, the guy was a piece of shit, he should of pulled the trigger
2:36 pm on October 5th, 2010 9
the guys a piece of shit got kicked out the people he brought down, yea we r issued 30 rounds for out daily posts thts y he was given the 30 he brought a wolrd of hell onto the AF, unit commanders, and everyone else around him fuck u walker
4:00 pm on October 5th, 2010 10
"Maybe he should have shot his wife!!!"
Hmmm…
After getting the M9, he went to the train station and then "phoned his wife and asked her to meet him and the other airman; instead, she called her husband’s unit."
If you are angry at your wife and want to kill yourself, there is no real reason to call your wife to join the fun… unless…