A 19-year-old Private First Class assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado, died in a privately owned weapons (POW) mishap 10 January 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at 0800 local. The Soldier was reportedly attempting to disassemble a handgun when a discharged round struck him in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the county coroner. The mishap is under investigation.
Since FY16, the Army has lost an average of three Soldiers a year to POW mishaps. This was the second fatal POW mishap of FY20. While the Army is at the same number of POW fatalities for the same time period in FY19, this mishap serves as a stark reminder for leaders to continue to emphasize off-duty weapons safety.