Soldier died in ‘tragic accident’
Undated handout photo issued by the Ministry of Defence of Ranger David Dalzell, 20, from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, killed in Afghanistan during an 'operational accident' whose inquest is due to resume. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday February 15, 2012. Ranger Dalzell was killed on February 4 last year as a result of an "operational accident" in Helmand province, the MoD said at the time. Ranger Dalzell, 20, was from Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland. He joined The Royal Irish Regiment in July 2010. The inquest will take place in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. See PA story INQUEST Afghanistan. Photo credit should read: MoD/Crown Copyright/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
A SOLDIER killed his best friend in a “tragic accident” in Afghanistan while checking his weapon, an inquest heard yesterday.
Ranger David Dalzell, 20, of 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, died from a single shot to the chest while erecting a commemorative flag pole for a colleague who had been killed by an improvised explosive device.
Ranger Dalzell, from Bangor, Co Down, and his comrades had returned just 20 minutes earlier from a patrol in the Nad-e-Ali district of Helmand and were relaxing at Check Point Ranger when the incident happened at 11.20am on February 4, 2011.
Ranger Sean Barry had stripped and cleaned his SA-80 rifle in an attempt to stop the safety catch and magazine sticking but failed to notice the magazine was still attached as he carried out a functioning test and a shot was fired, killing his friend instantly.
Speaking after the inquest, held at Trowbridge Coroner’s Court in Wiltshire, Ranger Dalzell’s father Gordon said it had been a “tragic accident”.
Wiltshire coroner David Ridley recorded a narrative verdict.
The inquest heard Ranger Barry was in a state of shock and screamed “I’ve killed him, I’ve killed him” immediately after the shot was fired.
Ranger Barry, who went through basic training at Catterick and joined The Royal Irish Regiment alongside Ranger Dalzell, had noticed the problem with his rifle following the morning patrol.
To clean the weapon he sat at the end of a bench at the front end of an accommodation tent facing outwards towards where Ranger Dalzell was helping to put up the flag pole.
“I got out my cleaning kit and laid it on the table... I went through each piece individually, cleaned the whole weapon,” Ranger Barry said.
Ranger Barry then went on to carry out a functioning test. He told the court this was always done with the magazine – which contained live ammunition – off the weapon.
“I did not realise the magazine was still attached,” Ranger Barry said.
Asked if the rifle was pointed in a safe direction, he simply replied: “No.”
“I was expecting just a click, but the force when it went off was a big shock to the system,” Ranger Barry said.
The shot was fired out of the open accommodation tent and hit Ranger Dalzell, who was not wearing any body armour, in the chest.
Ranger Dalzell, who was unresponsive, was attended to by medics and air-lifted to the field hospital at Camp Bastion where he was declared dead.
Ranger Barry was working since 3am that morning and went out on patrol at 5.30am returning around 11am.
“We were tired for four or five months, so we got used to it, but I’d never use that as an excuse,” Ranger Barry said.
Ranger Barry described his friendship with Ranger Dalzell as “brilliant”.
“He was one of my best mates,” he said.
Along with two other soldiers, the men had been together through training and since they were deployed to Afghanistan in September 2010.
Ranger Barry pleaded guilty at a court martial to a charge of negligently performing a duty while handling a service rifle causing the unintended discharge of a round.
He was sentenced to six months’ detention suspended for a year.
Ranger Peter Conran, of 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, told the inquest it was normal practice for the soldiers to clean their weapons in the accommodation tent.
Following the incident the weapon was checked but no faults were found.
Major Kevin Sanderson, a specialist in weapons training, said rules for cleaning weapons are “quite clear”.
He told the court that during the functioning test a soldier should be conscious of where the barrel is pointing, whether at a hesco wall - a blast barrier - or at the floor.
Since the incident, Maj Sanderson said, it was not felt there needed to be any change in current practice or procedures.
Coroner Mr Ridley told Ranger Dalzell’s family he would not be making any recommendations about weapons handling practice.
“It’s human nature to have errors, in this case with horrendous consequences,” Mr Ridley said.
Delivering a narrative verdict on the events of February 4, 2011, Mr Ridley said: “At approximately 11.20am the relevant soldier carried out a function test of the weapon, not realising that a magazine with live ammunition was still attached to the weapon and was unaware of the exact direction the barrel was pointing when, as part of the test, having cocked the weapon, he proceeded to pull the trigger with the weapon not held to his shoulder and the safety catch off.
“David was at the time in the firing line of the weapon... not wearing his Osprey body armour and sustained a fatal single gunshot wound to his chest.”
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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