Fort Bragg soldier who killed battalion commander dies
By Isolde Raftery, msnbc.com
The soldier who fatally shot a battalion commander at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Thursday has been identified as Specialist Ricky G. Elder, a 27-year-old infantryman from Hutchinson, Kan.
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Elder, who also shot himself after shooting his superior, died Friday after receiving treatment, according to a statement from Fort Bragg.
He had been charged with stealing a toolkit valued at $1,700 and was pending court martial, according to the statement. He could have been dishonorably discharged if found guilty, Reuters reported.
Elder allegedly opened fire during a routine talk about staying safe during the July 4th holiday.
He shot his commander, Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, 42, a highly decorated veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Tisdale, the commander of the 525th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
A third soldier, Specialist Michael Latham, 22, suffered a non-life threatening wound.
Elder enlisted in the Army in 2004 and was deployed to Iraq from October 2006 to November 2007. He was deployed to Afghanistan from September 2010 to June 2011. He had previously been assigned to Fort Richardson in Alaska and Fort Benning in Georgia. He arrived at Fort Bragg in June 2010.
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