Sergeant killed squad leader, soldier testifies
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FT. STEWART, GA. — A U.S. Army sergeant, his face lighted by the muzzle flash of his rifle, chased his squad leader at their base in Iraq until the man fell, then stood over him and fired two shots into him, a soldier in their unit testified at a military court hearing Tuesday.
Staff Sgt. John Dresel said he saw Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich, 39, of Minneapolis kill a fellow team leader in his unit, Sgt. Wesley Durbin, and their squad leader, Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson.
The squad leader, Dresel testified, fell to the ground pleading before Bozicevich shot him twice Sept. 14 at a small U.S. patrol base south of Baghdad.
On Monday, the first day of the hearing, other witnesses testified that the two slain soldiers had been giving Bozicevich a critique about performance problems before he shot them.
The hearing at Ft. Stewart, similar to a civilian grand jury, will determine if there’s enough evidence to try the case in a court-martial.
Testimony in the case was scheduled to resume today.
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