Police in Fairbanks are investigating after an Army sergeant died when a firearm he was handling accidentally discharged.
The U.S. Army says in a release that 25-year-old Sgt. Nathan Michael Higginbotham died from a single gunshot wound to the head early Sunday. The 9 mm pistol involved in the shooting was privately owned.
Fairbanks police said in a statement the shooting appears to be accidental based upon statements from two witnesses.
Police say they aren’t releasing “specifics regarding what actions Sgt. Higginbotham was taking with the firearm at the time of its discharge.”
The body was sent to Anchorage for an autopsy.
The native of Schenectady, New York, entered active duty in 2010. He deployed to Iraq in 2011, was assigned to the base near Fairbanks two years later.
