US nuclear airmen plead guilty to false statements in shooting that suspended Sig Sauer M18 use
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Two airmen at a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming pleaded guilty to making false statements in the fatal shooting of a third that led to the suspension of the use of the Sig Sauer M18 pistol at nuclear weapons sites for a month, the Air Force said in a statement Friday.
The firing pause imposed by the Air Force’s Global Strike Command after the death of 21-year-old Brayden Lovan in late July was lifted in late August after Air Force officials determined the M18 could be transported safely.
Lovan was an Airman with the 90th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Missile Wing at FE Warren Air Force Base, outside of Cheyenne.
Details of his death were first revealed Friday, including that the suspected shooter, Marcus White-Allen, had pointed his gun at Lovan’s chest while “joking.” White-Allen, after the shooting, allegedly urged the other two surviving airmen to lie about what happened, according to the statement.
White-Allen, who was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and making a false statement, was found dead on base on the morning of October 8. Air Force officials have not released details of White-Allen’s death, saying it remains under investigation.
Laramie County Coroner Rebecca Reid did not respond to phone messages seeking information about White-Allen’s death. A person who answered the phone at the coroner’s office Friday said Reid had no comment.
Airmen Sarbjot Badesha and Matthew Rodriguez each pleaded guilty this week to making false official statements regarding Lovan’s death on July 20, according to the Air Force statement.
Badesha was sentenced to 30 days of confinement and a forfeiture of $1,545, while Rodriguez was sentenced to 10 days of confinement, 15 days of base restriction and a forfeiture of $500. Both were also administratively demoted.
Both men reported hearing White-Allen’s gunshot and then seeing Lovan on the ground, according to the release.
White-Allen allegedly told Badesha, “Here’s the story. Tell them I slammed my duty belt on the desk and it came off.” White-Allen allegedly told Rodriguez to tell emergency responders that “White-Allen’s holster had come off,” according to the statement.
Neither airman initially reported this information, leading investigators to initially believe that White-Allen’s M18 discharged accidentally, according to the release.
Other U.S. service branches continued to use the M18 while Global Strike Command suspended its use. The suspension came amid lawsuits against Sig Sauer alleging its P320 pistol can explode without the trigger being pulled.
The New Hampshire-based gun maker denies the claims, saying the gun is safe and the problem is user error. This has prevailed in some cases.
