Probe of Tillman's death finds no criminal negligenceBy SCOTT LINDLAW
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif — Investigators probing the friendly-fire death in Afghanistan of former football star Pat Tillman found no criminal negligence, a government official said today.
The findings end a yearlong inquiry into the conduct of the U.S. soldiers who shot Tillman in 2004 and a possible subsequent cover-up.
The Army announced in March 2006 it would open a new investigation into the circumstances of Tillman's death, in response to complaints from Tillman's family and congressional representatives that previous probes had left key questions unanswered.
Although the Army never publicly discussed the scope of the new investigation, a senior Pentagon official said at the time that it would focus on possible charges of negligent homicide. Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said then that investigators would determine whether any of Tillman's fellow soldiers were "firing a weapon when they should not have been."
A government official who was briefed on the findings of the investigation said today that acting Defense Department Inspector General Thomas Gimble found no instance of criminal negligence. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the Pentagon had not yet publicly released its findings. That announcement was expected later today.
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