Ft. Bragg confirms soldier shot, killed superior

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Military officials at Fort Bragg have confirmed that a soldier shot and killed his superior officer before shooting and wounding himself.

Fort Bragg officials have not identified the officer or the shooter nor given a motive for Thursday's shooting at the North Carolina military installation. In a statement, Fort Bragg said the names of the suspect and the victim were being withheld pending notification of family members.

NBC News and CNN reported that the suspect, who Fort Bragg officials said turned his weapon on himself after shooting the officer, was not expected to survive his wounds. The soldier was in critical condition, according to a statement released by Fort Bragg officials Friday afternoon.

Col. Kevin Arata, public affairs officer for Fort Bragg and the 18th Airborne Corps, declined to comment on the network reports. He said information cited in the reports did not come from Fort Bragg officials.

A soldier who was near the safety briefing where the shooting took place was slightly injured, Colonel Arata said.

Fort Bragg officials said Spec. Michael E. Latham, 21, of Vacaville, Calif., was released from a Fort Bragg hospital after treatment for "a minor, nonlife-threatening wound" suffered during the shooting.

The shooting suspect, a specialist, faced a court-martial on suspicion of stealing a toolbox worth nearly $2,000 from a base motor pool, the networks reported. They said the specialist had served on the battalion commander's security detail in Afghanistan.