A Staff Sergeant assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, died in a privately owned weapons (POW) mishap 14 November 2020 in Killeen, Texas. Witnesses stated the Soldier was handling another Soldier’s POW at a party when a discharged round struck him in the head. The Soldier was taken by ambulance to the local hospital and underwent emergency surgery, but later died from his injuries.

Since FY16, the Army has lost an average of four Soldiers a year to POW mishaps. This mishap is the first fatal POW mishap of FY21.

Reinforce to your Soldiers that alcohol and weapons should never be mixed along with the need to always THINK about weapons safety:
Treat every weapon as if it is loaded.
Handle every weapon with care.
Identify the target before you fire.
Never point the muzzle at anything you don’t intend to shoot.
Keep the weapon on safe and your finger off the trigger until you intend to fire.

ANALYZE IT   |   TRAIN IT   |   DOWNLOAD PDF