Update on soldiers killed at stress clinic at Camp Liberty

Baghdad Shooting Spotlights Combat Stress
Suspect In Murder Of 3 Soldiers, 2 Doctors Was On Third Tour In Iraq, Sources Tell CBS News

BAGHDAD, May 12, 2009



(CBS/AP) An American Army sergeant shot and killed five fellow soldiers following an altercation at a military counseling center in Iraq Monday, officials said. The attack drew attention to the issues of combat stress and morale among soldiers serving multiple combat tours over six years of war.

The suspect had been disarmed after an incident at the center but returned with another weapon, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation into the shootings was ongoing.

The U.S. military charged the suspect with five counts of murder, and one count of aggravated assault in the killings. Maj. Gen. David Perkins told reporters Tuesday that the charges were filed against Sgt. John M. Russell of the 54th Engineering Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany.

Perkins said the dead included two doctors, one from the Navy and the other from the Army. The other three dead were enlisted personnel.

Sources tell CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier the suspect was on his third tour of Iraq.

A recent Army study found soldiers on their third or fourth deployment are twice as likely to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Caught early enough, the symptoms including nightmares, sleep disturbances and rollercoaster emotions and hypervigilance, can be treated. But often troops won't ask for help, reports Dozier.
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Baghdad Shooting Spotlights Combat Stress



UPDATE from CNN Sgt. Russell was on his third tour of Iraq.

Soldier charged in deaths of 5 U.S. troops
Story Highlights
NEW: Official identifies suspect as Army Sgt. John Russell

NEW: Soldier faces five counts of murder, one of aggravated assault

Soldier allegedly fired on, killed five comrades at counseling center near Baghdad

Defense official: Suspect had been a patient at stress treatment center


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. soldier who fired on fellow troops in Iraq has been identified as Army Sgt. John Russell, and he's been charged with five counts of murder, a military spokesman said Tuesday.


U.S. troops get a safety briefing before departing Camp Liberty, Iraq, in December 2008.

Russell killed five people when he fired on other troops at a stress clinic at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad International Airport, U.S. officials said.

Along with five counts of murder, Russell also was charged with one count of aggravated assault, said Maj. Gen. David Perkins, who briefed reporters in Baghdad.

Russell is on his third tour in Iraq. He's with the 54th Engineering Battalion, based in Germany. He is in military police custody at Camp Victory.

There are no immediate insights on a motive, Perkins said.
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Soldier charged in deaths of 5 U.S. troops