Marine defends actions at Haditha

Marine defends actions at Haditha
By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer
Thu Jun 14, 8:59 PM ET

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine facing murder charges in a squad action that killed 24 civilians in Iraq told a military court Thursday that he killed three men because he believed they were insurgents.

At least two were pointing machine guns at him, he said.

Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt gave an unsworn statement during his preliminary hearing on three counts of unpremeditated murder. Because it was unsworn, he could not be cross-examined.

"I kept firing until my magazine was empty, because I didn't know if they had body armor on or suicide vests," Sharratt said. "We did not execute any Iraqi men."

Sharratt described the events of Nov. 19, 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded in Haditha and killed a squad member. He said he cleared several houses without incident and was taking a cigarette break when he noticed a group of Iraqi men looking at him suspiciously.

Along with three other Marines, including squad leader Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, Sharratt went to look for the men. The troops went to one house where several women said the men were hiding in a neighboring house, Sharratt told the court.

In that house, Sharratt said he saw an Iraqi point an AK-47 at him from across the hallway. Sharratt's machine gun jammed, so he pulled out his pistol and shot the man in the head.

"When the insurgent popped back out from behind the door, I shot him once in the head, and he fell backwards," Sharratt said. He claimed that he then heard another man loading an AK-47 in an adjoining bedroom.

"As I stepped into the doorway, to my front was another insurgent with his AK-47 waist level as though he had just completed racking it," Sharratt read from his prepared statement. "I immediately fired at his head and chest. ... After shooting him, I continued to shoot the other individuals in the room."

Sharratt, of Canonsburg, Pa., said he ran out of ammunition and yelled, "I'm out." Wuterich came into the room and fired at the men, too, he said. Prosecutors say Wuterich is responsible for the death of a fourth man in the room.

Sharratt's account came at his Article 32 investigation, a hearing during which an investigating officer will review evidence to recommend whether Sharratt should be sent to a court-martial.

As he read his statement, Sharratt's parents cried.

"We are just so disappointed in what the Marine Corps is doing," said father Darryl Sharratt outside the courtroom. "We feel they have abandoned him."

Most of the 24 Iraqis were killed when the Marine squad went house to house looking for insurgents. Among the dead were elderly people, and women and children who were killed in bed.

Wuterich and Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum are also charged with murder. Four officers are charged with dereliction of duty for failing to investigate.

Also Thursday, the lawyer for an officer charged in the case said an Article 32 hearing scheduled for his client would move forward despite an administrative error by the Marine Corps.

First Lt. Andrew Grayson is now due in court July 23, attorney Joseph Casas said. On Wednesday, Casas told The Associated Press his client might not be eligible for prosecution because he had been discharged. The Marine Corps said it issued the discharge papers in error.