A Specialist assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, died in a privately owned weapons mishap 8 January 2021 in Killeen, Texas, at 2130 local. The Soldier was reportedly showing his shotgun to two other Soldiers at an off-post residence and pointed it at himself in a joking manner. One of the Soldiers told him that he shouldn’t do that with the weapon. After stating that the shotgun was on safe, it discharged unintentionally, striking the Soldier. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It is unknown at this time if alcohol was a contributing factor. The mishap is under investigation.
Since FY16, the Army has lost an average of four Soldiers a year to POW mishaps. This tragedy was the second fatal off-duty POW mishap of FY21.
Alcohol is a common factor in POW mishaps, along with indiscipline and complacency. In addition to never mixing alcohol and weapons, you can manage your risk with privately owned weapons if you always THINK 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.