The US Defence Department is investigating the shooting of an apparently wounded and unarmed Iraqi prisoner by a US marine in a mosque in Fallujah, Iraq, NBC news said Tuesday. The shooting incident was shown partially censored by several US television networks Monday. In the sequence, a US marine is heard describing one of the Iraqi prisoners lying motionless on the ground against a wall as faking death before he fires his automatic rifle at him, point blank.
NBC reporter Kevin Sites, who filmed the video sequence on Saturday while following a group of US marines during an offensive against insurgents in Fallujah, said Monday that the fatal shot was fired by a marine apparently unaware the Iraqi was a wounded prisoner and did not pose a threat.
Televisions networks said the marine who killed the wounded man had been detained and could face prosecution.
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whithman told NBC the military was investigating the incident, adding: "We're confident it will be a thorough investigation."
According to a pool report filed by Sites on the incident, the unidentified mosque in southern Fallujah was stormed by marines on Friday; ten insurgents inside were killed and another five were wounded.
The injured prisoners were left inside the mosque as the marines continued on their patrol for other US military units to evacuate for treatment.
On Saturday, two US military units arrived at the mosque after receiving reports that the building had been retaken by insurgents. The units entered the front and back of the mosque and Sites said he heard shots fired inside.
A marine who emerged from the mosque told an inquiring lieutenant that people had been shot inside. The lieutenant asked if the people were armed, to which the soldier just shrugged, Sites said.
Once inside the mosque, the NBC reporter said he saw the five injured Iraqi prisoners who had been left behind on Friday, four of whom had been shot again. He said one appeared dead and he other severely wounded.
A fifth man, said Sites, was lying under a blanket apparently not having been shot a second time. One of the marines noticed the man was still breathing, said Sites adding that the prostrate man did not appear to be armed.
The Marine was then heard to say "He's fucking faking he's dead - he's faking he's fucking dead."