Manas checkpoint incident under investigation

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MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) --  The driver of a truck operated by a local fuel company Dec. 6 at approximately 3 p.m. local time was shot and killed by a 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Airman.

The driver had stopped at the checkpoint for a routine inspection of his vehicle. Then went into a security tent to wait for his vehicle to be inspected.

As the Airman approached the tent, the driver physically threatened him with a knife which was later discovered at the scene. The Airman drew his 9mm weapon and fired in self defense.

The driver was shot twice in the chest which in accordance with Air Force security forces training is standard procedure. During close-quarter engagements, and when armed with a hand gun, if a security forces member's life is threatened, they are trained to expend two shots to the upper torso, center mass to ensure the highest opportunity to neutralize the threat. Security forces are taught to act immediately and instinctively based on extensive training.

Air Force medics arrived on the scene and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the driver and continued life-saving techniques while transporting him to the Manas Air Base hospital. The driver was brought to the emergency room, where a team of doctors tried to revive him. He was later pronounced dead.

A Manas airport ambulance arrived in the evening to take the driver's body to the morgue.

The Airman has been placed off duty and his weapon was turned in. This is standard procedure in any shooting incident while an investigation is in progress. The Airman remains on base.

The Office of Special Investigations is investigating the incident, working jointly with Kyrgyz investigators. One goal of the investigation is to not only determine what happened, but why it happened.

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