Warning: I have no idea how reliable this site is in terms of fact checking. The link was sent to me by someone I trust, but please - do your own due diligence.
http://tomohalloran.com/2013/08/02/army-officer-gets-20-years-for-trying-to-ensure-the-safety-of-his-troops/By David Mccormack and Helen Pow
First Lieutenant Clint Lorance was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder on Thursday
Prosecutors said Lorance recklessly ordered his men to open fire on three men on a motorcycle approaching his patrol in July 2012, killing two
His mom, Anna Lorance, says he was only doing what he had to to ensure the safety of his troops
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, forfeiture of all pay and dismissal from the U.S. Army
An Oklahoma Army lieutenant has been found guilty of two counts of murder in connection with a series of shootings in Afghanistan.
A jury at Fort Bragg delivered the verdict against Clint Lorance, an 82nd Airborne Division lieutenant, on Thursday evening and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, forfeiture of all pay and dismissal from the U.S. Army. Lorance, 28, was found not guilty of making a false official statement.
Prosecutors said Lorance recklessly ordered his men to open fire immediately, after three men on a motorcycle approached his patrol in southern Afghanistan in July 2012. They said this was in violation of the military’s rules of engagement, which requires soldiers to hold fire unless they have evidence of hostile action or hostile intent.
Two of the men were killed and the third ran away.
Devastated mother Anna Lorance claims her son, First Lieutenant Clint Lorance, is being unfairly victimized by the militaryDevastated: Anna Lorance, right, claims her son, First Lieutenant Clint Lorance, left, has been unfairly victimized by the military
Attorneys for Lorance said he was trying to protect his unit, and the soldier’s supporters have attacked the military for turning a war hero deployed in a volatile and remote corner of Afghanistan into a defendant.
‘To put murder charges on him!’ Lorance’s mother, Anna Lorance, protested in an interview with The Washington Post before the verdict. ‘In war, people die. When you’re in a heated combat zone, you have seconds to think.’
Lorance is only the second Army officer charged with murder in a battlefield death in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
His devastated mother had campaigned since the charges were filed that her son was innocent and even created a website to build support for their case.
More at link.
