A native of DeBary, Florida, Pvt. Nicholas D. Mikel was a US soldier who was charged with 42 counts of attempted murder after shooting at fellow soldiers during a training exercise in Fort Campbell, Kentucky on October 13 2005.
Mikel was a member of the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team in E Company
On October 12 Mikel was involved in what has since been alleged to have been a rape.
At 7am on the morning of the 13th, Mikel donned a black jacket, tactical holster and a balaclava mask, and walked out to a field during morning exercise and fired three rounds at the formation from his personally-owned .357 Magnum. He then fled the scene, firing two more shots at a soldier who came out of a doorway. Mikel removed his gear, and told Military Police that he had just seen somebody run away from the scene. Having witnessed what happened, the police arrested him immediately.
On March 18 2006, Mikel petitioned the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces for a review of his case.
At his court martial, he wept at sentencing and pleaded guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence and apologised for his actions, saying he had made a "terrible mistake".
Charges *assault with intent to rape *42 counts of premeditated attempted murder *4 counts of attempted murder *unlawful appropriation of a government laptop *failure to obey an order (having an unregistered firearm on base)
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