A Fort Bliss soldier has been shot dead by his stepson using his own gun after the young boy saw him assaulting his mother, police said.
Sgt 1st Class Allan Edwards was found with gunshot wounds at his apartment in El Paso on Sunday. He reportedly died at the scene.
His 13-year-old stepson was taken into custody before he was transferred to the Juvenile Probation Department.
Investigators said that the US Army soldier had assaulted the boy’s mother hours before the fatal shooting.
KFOX14 reported that the 13-year-old saw the incident and immediately felt the need to protect his mother.
Later that evening, Edwards started arguing with the mother. That’s when the son grabbed the weapon and shot the soldier, police said.
Edwards joined the army in 2008 and he had been at Fort Bliss since March 2014, El Paso Times reported.
His Facebook profile shows that he was a Division Master Gunner with the 1st Armored Division.
Colonel Bryan Frizzelle, assistant chief of staff in the 1st Armored Division, said: “Sgt. 1st Class Allan Edwards gave 100 percent daily to the team and his profession; his technical knowledge enhanced the capability of the division operations section.”
Facebook posts suggest that Edwards tied the knot with his wife last year and they welcomed a baby girl in July.
One person commented: “I have much respect for the kid if he was protecting his mom.”
Another wrote: “I’m sure it’s not the first time he’s seen his mother being beaten by the man that supposedly loves her. I think he has seen it many times and finally snapped. I feel very bad for this little boy. If he was in fear for his life or his mother’s maybe they won’t charge him.”
A third said: “If you’ve not lived with someone who is abusive, you won’t fully understand how frightening it is for children of the one being abused, or how frightening it is if it’s a sibling being abused.
It doesn’t matter if the abuser is a parent, step-parent, or someone else, it’s very traumatizing for children to be around.
If the step-father had a history of being abusive towards his mom it’s understandable he used a gun to protect her because he couldn’t physically do that.”
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