Soldier killed, two others injured in Fort Bragg shooting

A soldier from the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade shot another member of the unit and then turned the gun on himself outside in a field during a unit safety briefing around 3:30 p.m., public affairs officer Col. Kevin Arata said.

The shooter was in custody Thursday night at undisclosed hospital. A third soldier suffered minor injuries.

Fort Bragg officials have not released the names or ranks of those involved or indicated what might have led to the shooting.

"This is obviously a tragedy for our community," Arata said. "We don’t yet know the reasons for the shooting, but we are working with the unit and the affected families to help them through this difficult period."

Safety briefings typically take place before leave for an extended weekend, and soldiers are not supposed to be armed at them.

Residents of the communities around Fort Bragg said they were taking news of the shooting death hard.

"It's just a sad situation, because the soldiers are really here to help us," Catherine Rancy, of Spring Lake, said.