Marine charged with murder in death of northern Minnesota Marine at barracks in D.C.
3:40 p.m., Aug. 2 | Posted: 3:12 p.m., Aug. 1
A Marine faces charges in the shooting death last January in Washington, D.C., of a Marine from northern Minnesota.
The Marine Corps said Thursday that Lance Cpl. Andrew M. Johnson has been charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with murder, manslaughter and failure to obey a lawful general order.
Lance Cpl. Riley Kuznia, 20, of Karlstad, was killed on New Year's Day at the historic Marine Barracks in the nation's capital.
In a statement, the Corps says preliminary findings from the investigation indicate that "proper firearm handling procedures were not followed."
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A Corps spokesperson said Johnson was relieved of guard duty immediately after the shooting but is not in detention.
The Metropolitan Police Department said in January that its officers responded to the Marine Barracks just after 5 a.m. Jan. 1.
The initial police report that was publicly available includes few details, but does say that a second person at the scene “had been handling a firearm.”
Despite lifesaving measures, Kuznia was pronounced dead at a hospital less than an hour later.
An Article 32 preliminary hearing in Quantico, Va., on Aug. 22 will determine the next steps of the case against Johnson, including a possible court martial.
The charge sheet, the military’s equivalent of an indictment, also specifies three alleged instances of dereliction of duty, including two in late 2018 involving the mishandling of firearms.
Around Nov. 25, Johnson allegedly removed his pistol from its holster while dancing. On Dec. 31, military authorities say Johnson again unholstered his pistol, chambered a round and said something to the effect of “Oh, you’re going to a party. F--- this s---.”
The next day, Johnson is alleged to have pointed a pistol at Kuznia and pulled “the trigger in jest,” hitting him in the head.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.