Deputies: Calif. Soldier Had Friend Shoot Him To Avoid Redeployment
POSTED: 12:09 pm PST February 26, 2008
APPLE VALLEY, Calif. — A soldier trying to avoid redeployment to Iraq had a friend shoot him in the leg and then claimed he had been wounded in a holdup, authorities said.
The 20-year-old old man from of Apple Valley limped into a minimart about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and reported he had been walking on a golf course when a gunman stole his wallet and military identification and shot him in the right thigh, authorities said.
[…]
“We were out looking for the suspect, and things just weren’t adding up,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Trish Hill said.
The man was questioned and finally told investigators that a friend shot him with a .32-caliber revolver so that he could avoid returning to Iraq, Newton said.
[…]
The man was questioned and finally told investigators that a friend shot him with a .32-caliber revolver so that he could avoid returning to Iraq, Newton said.
The friend also confessed that they had staged the shooting, Newton said.
“I don’t think he realized how serious this situation was. I think he thought he was just helping out a friend,” Newton said. “He realized it wasn’t a real good idea when the deputies showed up at his home.”
Hell No, They Won’t Go
