Report: U.S. Troops Shot Iraqi Civilian Many Times

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

SAN ANTONIO — A soldier charged with premeditated murder in the death of an Iraqi shot the man several times with a rifle before ordering a subordinate to do the same, according to an Army document filed in the case.

Sergeant 1st Class Trey Corrales of San Antonio and Specialist Christopher Shore of Winder, Ga., are charged with one count of murder in the death, which the American military has said happened June 23 near Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk.

A one-paragraph document, called a “charge sheet” in the military, states that Sergeant Corrales fired multiple rounds before directing Specialist Shore “to then shoot the detainee,” according to a report in yesterday’s editions of the San Antonio Express-News. It does not state the number of shots the soldiers allegedly fired.

The document was obtained by the newspaper through the Freedom of Information Act.

Sergeant Corrales’s attorney, Frank Spinner, said he was not fazed by the document’s brief description. He said the Army often “overcharges” defendants to scare them into a plea bargain.

“But I don’t become fearful by just reading a charge sheet,” Mr. Spinner said. “I want to see the facts and the evidence.”

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Donnelly, a spokesman for the soldiers’ command in Iraq, would not give details on the alleged shooting.

He didn’t know if an autopsy on the prisoner has been performed and would not say if prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty.

Sergeant Corrales’s father, Albert Corrales Sr., has told the newspaper that he was told his son was in a firefight with insurgents.

Sergeant Corrales and Specialist Shore are assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, which is part of the 25th Infantry Division based in Hawaii. The unit is attached to Multinational Division — North.

The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Browder, was fired for leadership failure but is not a suspect and has not been charged with any offense, the military said.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use