Wyoming airman accused of manslaughter weeks after another airman at base arrested in separate shooting death

CBS News

2 days ago

A second airman in a month at a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming stands accused of involuntary manslaughter for a shooting death.
F.E. Warren Air Force Base Airman First Class Jadan Orr, 20, remained jailed on Monday after he allegedly shot a man in a Cheyenne apartment early Saturday, according to police and sheriff's officials.
Orr and several friends had been drinking at the apartment for most of the night when Orr and two others went into another room and Orr began handling an AK-47 rifle, according to a Cheyenne Police Department statement.
"While manipulating the firearm, Orr charged it and fired it through the wall into the living room, striking the victim in the torso," police said
Police arrived to find several people outside trying to help the 23-year-old man, who died at the scene, the statement added.
Orr was charged with involuntary manslaughter, according to Laramie County Circuit Court. He did not have an attorney on file to comment on his behalf.
"Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and teammates affected by this tragic loss," Col. Terry Holmes, commander of the 90th Missile Wing, said in a statement. "We are fully supporting the investigation and remain committed to taking care of our Airmen and their families during this extremely difficult time."
Neither Cheyenne police nor the Laramie County coroner had publicly identified the victim as of Monday. Police referred questions about the victim's identity to coroner Rebecca Reid, who did not immediately return a phone message.
Officials at the base just outside Cheyenne announced on Aug. 12 that an airman had been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, obstructing justice and making a false statement in connection with the July 20 shooting death of another airman. The victim was identified as Brayden Lovan, 21, of the 90th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Missile Wing.
"The incident involved a firearm discharge" that is currently being investigated by multiple Air Force agencies, the base said in a statement last month. "At this time, no determination has been made regarding the nature of the discharge."
The shooting led the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command to suspend use of Sig Sauer's M18 handgun. The weapon has been the subject of lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege the gun is susceptible to firing without the trigger being pulled. Other military branches have continued to use the gun.
Unlike in the latest case, the airman stood accused in military, as opposed to civilian, court. The Air Force had not yet released the identity of the accused airman and other details of the earlier shooting, saying Monday it was still under investigation.