The military has dropped charges of involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, and dereliction of duty against Sgt. Jason Byrd in the friendly-fire death of Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt. The Wall Street Journal reports the senior U.S. commander in southwestern Afghanistan decided against the court marital of Sgt. Byrd.
According to the WSJ:
Lance Cpl. Schmidt, based at Camp Pendleton, was killed October 6, 2011 in Afghanistan. His parents,Dr. David Schmidt and Becky Whetstone, told the San Antonio Express News back in November 2011:
Sgt. Bird had been the tank commander in the incident.
The 24-year-old Lance Cpl. Schmidt grew up in San Antonio, Texas. His father was the team physician for the San Antonio Spurs.
