Former NFL player was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004
 AP file Former Arizona Cardinals football player Pat Tillman is shown in a June 2003 file photo. Tillman was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan in April 2004. |
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A criminal investigation into the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman has been opened nearly two years after the former NFL player was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, an Army official told NBC News on Saturday.
Multiple government investigations found that Tillman, 27, was shot to death by fellow U.S. soldiers during a firefight in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. The Army initially told Tillman’s family that he had been killed by enemy fire and portrayed the former Arizona Cardinals player as a war hero.
Col. Joseph Curtin, an Army spokesman, said the Defense Department office of inspector general had reviewed the matter at the Army’s request and concluded that a criminal probe was warranted.
Curtin said the scope of the new investigation by the Army Criminal Investigation Command, had not yet been determined in detail.
Members of the Tillman family were notified on Friday, Curtin said. In the past, Tillman’s father, Patrick Tillman, and other family members have criticized the Army and its investigations.
“We are obligated to answer the family’s questions, as we are with all grieving families,” Curtin said.
Negligent homicide charges possible
A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the new investigation has not been formally begun, said it would focus on possible charges of negligent homicide.
A report by the Army found that troops with Tillman knew at the time that friendly fire had killed the football star. Officers destroyed critical evidence and concealed the truth from Tillman’s brother, also an Army Ranger, who was nearby, the report found.
More than three weeks after a memorial service in San Jose, Calif., the Army announced on May 29, 2004, that friendly fire rather than an enemy encounter caused Tillman’s death. However, even at the time of the memorial, top Army officials were aware that the investigation showed the death had been caused by an act of “gross negligence,” the report said.
Star gave up millions to serve
In spite of the Army’s findings, the officer who prepared the report, Brig. Gen. Gary M. Jones, concluded there was no official reluctance to report the truth. Army officials have acknowledged that they should have better handled the information they released on Tillman’s death.
Tillman joined the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks even though he had a multimillion-dollar contract to play football for the Arizona Cardinals. He and his brother completed a tour in Iraq before going to Afghanistan.
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