The Pentagon has directed the U.S. Army to launch a criminal investigation into whether the friendly fire death of Army Ranger and former professional football star Pat Tillman in Afghanistan in 2004 was a homicide, the Army said on Saturday.
An Army official said the Army Criminal Investigation Command would seek to determine whether one of the handful of fellow soldiers involved in the incident committed negligent homicide or some other crime in Tillman's death.
The official said he "wouldn't want to speculate" as to whether the investigation was focusing on the actions of a particular soldier.
The Army, despite knowing almost immediately Tillman was shot by fellow soldiers, initially stated publicly that his death in a remote canyon near the Pakistani border on April 22, 2004, was the result of enemy fire.
Weeks later, after Tillman's nationally televised funeral, the Army acknowledged he had been the victim of friendly fire in a wild spree of gunfire amid much confusion among U.S. soldiers at the scene, and later admitted that soldiers had destroyed evidence.
The Army official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said the Pentagon inspector general's office late on Friday gave initial notification to the Army Criminal Investigation Command to conduct "a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman."
Tillman is the best-known of any American service member killed in the wars in either Afghanistan or Iraq. He walked away from his National Football League career and a $3.6 million contract to join the military along with his brother, a fellow Ranger, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. He was widely hailed as a hero and role model.
The criminal investigation is the latest in a series of official Army probes into his death.
PARENTS CRITICAL
Tillman's parents have sharply criticized the Army's actions following the death of their 27-year-old son. They have accused Army officials of lying and sought a more rigorous investigation in the case.
The Army official said there was no timetable for completing the probe, and said that potential charges like negligent homicide "are the sorts of things that will be looked into." Asked if any specific person was under investigation on suspicion of wrongdoing, the official said, "No one person."
An Army investigative report last year stated that the day after his death, U.S. military personnel burned Tillman's bloody body armor and uniform, which the chief investigator called the destruction of evidence. Army officers also told soldiers knowledgeable about the incident to keep quiet for fear the news media would learn the true nature of his death, the report found.
His father, Pat Tillman Sr., last year assailed as "shams" and a cover-up the Army's investigations into his son's death. His mother, Mary Tillman, said it was "disgusting" the Army lied about it.
Army spokesman Paul Boyce said, "The U.S. Army has conducted repeated investigations into the death of Cpl. Patrick Tillman and we will continue to do so to thoroughly look into the circumstances."
An investigative report by Brig. Gen. Gary Jones of the Army Special Operations Command last year described confusion among U.S. soldiers during the incident, and said fellow Rangers failed to identify at whom they were firing when they shot toward Tillman. It said Tillman waved his arms and threw a smoke grenade to try in vain to show he was not the enemy.
The U.S. soldiers who shot at Tillman, the report found, described poor light as the sun set, and said they targeted the same place as their team leader, assuming he was shooting at the enemy.