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Soldier charged in others' deaths
3rd ID identifies alleged shooter
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FORT STEWART -- A 3rd Infantry Division soldier was officially charged Thursday in the death of two 3rd ID soldiers who died Sept. 14 in Tunnis, Iraq, according to Fort Stewart's Public Affairs office.

Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich, 39, of Minneapolis, Minn., was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Staff Sgt. Darris J. Dawson and Sgt. Wesley R. Durbin. All three soldiers were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID.

"Sgt. Bozicevich is currently in pretrial confinement in the local area," said Col. Terry Ferrell, 3rd ID chief of staff. "I want to emphasize that throughout the military justice process Sgt. Bozicevich is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty of the charges against him."

The next step in the military justice process is an Article 32 pretrial hearing. It is comparable to a civilian preliminary hearing or grand jury, where an investigating officer will hear evidence and make findings and recommendations concerning the charges.  Although a date has not been set for the hearing, it is open to the public.

The 3rd ID will honor the two fallen warriors with a tree dedication ceremony at Fort Stewart's Warriors Walk at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 16. Both Dawson and Durbin's families have been invited to the ceremony.
 
"Staff Sgt. Dawson and Sgt. Durbin were perfect illustrations of selfless service, and were dedicated to our country's mission," said Col. Thomas James, 4th BCT commander. "Both will be sorely missed by the entire team."

Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo, 3rd ID commander, attended Dawson's funeral Sept. 25 in Pensacola, Fla., while Brig. Gen. Patrick Donahue, 3rd ID assistant division commander, attended Durbin's funeral Sept. 23 in Hurst, Texas.

Bozicevich has served three years on active duty, 15 years in the Army Reserves, been assigned to Fort Stewart for 27 months and was on his second combat deployment.

The Associated Press last month reported that an unnamed Pentagon source said the shooting occurred during a personnel review.

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