The Air Force has arrested an airman in connection with the July 20 death of another airman, which involved a Sig Sauer M18 and led the service to suspend the use of the pistol following the incident.
In a Friday statement, a Department of the Air Force spokesperson said that the unidentified arrested person is accused of making a false official statement, obstruction of justice and involuntary manslaughter.
Air Force Global Strike Command pulled the M18 from use after Brayden Lovan, a 21-year-old remote targeting engagement system operator in the 90th Security Forces Group at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was fatally shot with that pistol.
The service’s Office of Special Investigations is still investigating Lovan’s death.
“As with all individuals accused of a crime, the person arrested in this case is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law,” the spokesperson said.
No further details about the circumstances surrounding Lovan’s death or the arrest were available.
The M18, along with the M17, is a derivative of Sig Sauer’s P320 that the Air Force and Army have used. However, the P320 pistol has faced allegations that it is prone to going off accidentally without the trigger being pulled. Sig Sauer has strongly denied those allegations and said its pistols do not discharge unless the trigger is pulled.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
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