Suspected Fort Bragg shooter Army Spc. Ricky G. Elder, 27, who was believed to have shot and killed his commander on base last Thursday, has died of self-inflicted injuries.
The Department of Defense announced Sunday that Elder died June 29 at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
As Home Post reported last week, Elder allegedly walked up to his commanding officer, Army Lt. Col. Roy L. Tisdale, during a safety briefing for the Fourth of July, and shot him three times in the head and twice in the chest. Tisdale died immediately.
Elder then turned the gun on himself.
Spc. Michael E. Latham, 22, of Vacaville, California also received minor injuries at the scene.
The motive for the shooting is unclear, but The Hutchinson News reports Elder was about to be sentenced for battery in a civilian court:
Elder was scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. Friday before Reno County District Judge Trish Rose for sentencing on a felony charge of aggravated battery for punching Deborah M. Keough-Douglas, 29, in the face April 4, 2010, at Grand Slam sports bar in Hutchinson. The incident reportedly caused $60,000 in medical bills for Douglas.
Elder was also facing military court martial, according to the Defense Department, for allegedly stealing a $1,700 tool kit.
Elder served in Iraq from October 2006 to November 2007 and in Afghanistan from September 2010 to July 2011.
