Accidental shooting, pt. 2
Apr. 27th, 2006 01:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Further updates on Jacob Kovco, the Australian soldier who was shot in Iraq:
* Now being reported that he did not die cleaning his gun. In Brendan Nelson's words: "It was near him in his vicinity and he made some kind of movement which suggests that it discharged."
("Near him in his vicinity"? "Suggests"? Did I hallucinate the five years where Nelson was Minister for Education, before he was promoted to Defence?)
* In an impressive feat of incompetence, they flew the wrong body back to Australia. Officially, Kovco's body is in Kuwait, held up by a public holiday, but his mother is of the not-unreasonable suspicion that if they accidentally flew a dead Bosnian to Australia, maybe her son's body ended up in Bosnia. (She also looks to be about as convinced as I was by the 'accidental shooting' story.)
* Now being reported that he did not die cleaning his gun. In Brendan Nelson's words: "It was near him in his vicinity and he made some kind of movement which suggests that it discharged."
("Near him in his vicinity"? "Suggests"? Did I hallucinate the five years where Nelson was Minister for Education, before he was promoted to Defence?)
* In an impressive feat of incompetence, they flew the wrong body back to Australia. Officially, Kovco's body is in Kuwait, held up by a public holiday, but his mother is of the not-unreasonable suspicion that if they accidentally flew a dead Bosnian to Australia, maybe her son's body ended up in Bosnia. (She also looks to be about as convinced as I was by the 'accidental shooting' story.)
no subject
Date: 2006-04-27 05:39 am (UTC)If I had to bet on an explanation, I'd split my money between two options: suicide, or an embarrassing accident (embarrassing to somebody still living, that is). Somebody clowning around with a firearm, that sort of thing.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-27 05:51 am (UTC)Suicide is plausible, but on the description seems unlikely (the Kiwis had one casulty in East Timor - a soldier shot himself on patrol in the SW corner). Clowning around with firearms in the middle of Iraq doesn't seem to likely either.
Whilst I concur with your general motto, I'd still put money on a dispute.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-27 05:54 am (UTC)People do stupid things when they're tired and stressed and trying to blow off steam, though. I'd have thought Iraq would be as likely a place as anywhere. But at the end of the day, that's no more than a guess; will have to wait and see what comes out.