TACOMA, Wash., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Army investigators say their investigation into the alleged murder of three Afghan civilians by U.S. Army personnel may have uncovered a fourth victim.
The Army has charged Staff Sgt. Calvin R. Gibbs and four other soldiers with involvement in three killings that occurred between January and May in Kandahar province, The Washington Post reported.
Gibbs has been charged with conspiring with other soldiers from the 5th Stryker Combat Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division to murder three unarmed Afghans, allegedly for sport, and dismembering and photographing the corpses.
Gibbs and the others have claimed they acted in self-defense each time.
Now Army investigative reports allege Gibbs and other members from his unit shot and killed a fourth unarmed Afghan on Jan. 28.
Afterward, some soldiers told investigators, platoon members planted ammunition next to the body so their superiors would rule the shooting justifiable.
Officials at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, Wash., where a pretrial hearing for one of the accused soldiers began this week, declined to explain why the Army did not file charges related to the Jan. 28 killing.
They also declined to comment on the fresh disclosures in the criminal investigative reports.
"That's all part of the ongoing investigation," Maj. Kathleen Turner, a base spokeswoman, said. "Nothing is closed."
