On Friday, the Air Force released new details about a fatal shooting this summer at a Wyoming base, which prompted a month-long suspension of Sig Sauer M18 pistols at nuclear sites.
In a statement, the Air Force said that on July 20 at FE Warren Air Force Base near Cheyenne, the alleged shooter, Marcus White-Allen, pointed his M18 pistol at the chest of Airman Brayden Lovan, 21, in what investigators described as a “form of prank.”
After the shooting, White-Allen, who served in the same squadron’s security forces, allegedly pressured two surviving airmen, Sarbjot Badesha and Matthew Rodriguez, to lie about what happened.
Investigators say White-Allen allegedly told Badesha, “Here’s the story: Tell them I slammed my work belt on the desk and it went off.”
He also allegedly told Rodriguez to tell emergency responders that White-Allen’s “holster went off,” according to the statement.
White-Allen was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and making a false statement. He was found dead on the base on the morning of October 8, although the Air Force has not yet released details about how he died.
Badesha and Rodriguez initially reported hearing White-Allen’s gun discharge and then seeing Lovan on the ground. Neither airman initially revealed critical details, leading investigators to initially believe that White-Allen’s M18 had been fired accidentally.
As a result, the Air Force Global Strike Command temporarily suspended the M18 pistol at nuclear weapons sites, although other branches of the US service continued to use it.
The ban was lifted in late August after authorities confirmed the M18 was safe to transport.
The suspension came amid lawsuits against Sig Sauer alleging that its P320 pistol can fire without pulling the trigger. New Hampshire-based Sig Sauer denies the allegations, attributing any incidents to user error, and has prevailed in some cases.
Badesha and Rodriguez have since pleaded guilty to making false statements about Lovan’s death.
Badesha received 30 days of confinement and forfeited $1,545, while Rodriguez was sentenced to 10 days of confinement, 15 days of base restriction and forfeited $500. Both also faced administrative demotions.
In a separate incident just weeks after Lovan’s death, Airman Jadan Orr, 20, allegedly shot and killed a 23-year-old man in a Cheyenne apartment near the base after firing an AK-47 through a wall while drinking with friends.
Orr, of the 90th Missile Wing, was arrested for involuntary manslaughter when his alleged victim died at the scene.