Criminal charges dismissed against soldier in Afghan shooting
Criminal charges were dismissed Thursday against U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter Taylor, who had faced potential imprisonment for negligent homicide in the 2011 death of a civilian doctor in Afghanistan.
Col. Darren L. Werner, commander of the 16th Sustainment Brigade in Bamberg, Germany, released a charge sheet dismissing all counts after an investigating officer found that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges.
The case has sparked widespread debate over the Army’s rules of engagement in Afghanistan, which now require soldiers to positively establish that a target is a non-civilian with hostile intent before using their weapons. Rarely in the past have service members faced homicide charges for split-second decisions made in the heat of combat.
Taylor, 31, has said he had only seconds to decide whether an unidentified figure emerging from a car near a shootout with insurgents was about to detonate another bomb. The shootout had erupted after a roadside bomb seriously injured five other soldiers.
As it happened, the person he fatally shot was the head of the obstetrics department at a nearby hospital, returning with her family from a wedding.
“It’s not just a victory for me, it’s a victory for all the soldiers,” Taylor said in an interview Thursday. “For all the soldiers that did great things down range (in Afghanistan). They don’t have to think in their mind that one of their comrades was being done wrong.”
A large number of soldiers from Taylor’s platoon, charged with clearing explosives along the main roads between Kabul and Kandahar, had risen to support Taylor after the charges were filed.
“I got nothing but respect for him,” Spc. Wayne Wedgeworth, who was one of those injured in the explosion on the day of the firefight, said in an earlier interview. “He fought when he had to fight. He did not back down. He fought the enemy off.”
The charges of negligent homicide and dereliction of duty could have led to three years of imprisonment. Army prosecutors, who had alleged Taylor should have been more careful to make a positive identification before firing his weapon, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
CDC: 158 cases of new swine flu strain linked to state fairs
ATLANTA — Don’t pet the pigs.
That’s the message state and county fair visitors got Thursday from health officials who reported a five-fold increase of cases of a new strain of swine flu that spreads from pigs to people. Most of the cases are linked to the fairs, where visitors are in close contact with infected pigs.
This flu has mild symptoms and it’s not really spreading from person to person.
“This is not a pandemic situation,” said Dr. Joseph Bresee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But any flu can be a risk for some people, and people should be cautious when they can, he added.
Large crowds halt NYC vibrator giveaway
NEW YORK — A vibrator giveaway that attracted long lines in New York City came to an abrupt end when the city told the promoters to pack it up.
The Trojan condom company set up “Pleasure Carts” on Wednesday in two Manhattan neighborhoods, and were set to give away 10,000 vibrating sex toys. Nearly 300 people had lined up at each of the hot-dog-style carts.
According to the New York Post, the giveaway was interrupted when a city representative told the promoters to shut down because of crowds.
One of those on line, Melody Henry, grumbled that Mayor Michael Bloomberg “doesn’t want anyone to have fun. You can’t have a giant soda, You can’t have a vibrator.”
The city says the promotional event could resume at a later date with proper permits.
By wire sources
