AFOSI Report of Investigation
Shooting in Kabul, Afghanistan on April 27, 2011

Department of the Air Force
Air Force Office of Special Investigations

Report of Investigation

REPORT BY: SA                               

FILE NO: 2405-C-118-B-15882111171250

PERIOD OF REPORT: 27 Apr 09 - 1 Sep 11

REPORT DATE: 4 Sep 11

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Summary of Investigation

(U/FOUO) On 27 Apr 11, AFOSI Expeditionary Detachment 2405, Bagram Air Field (BAF), Afghanistan (AFG) was notified that at approximately 1010 hours on 27 Apr 11, SUBJECT entered the Air Command and Control Center (ACCC) in the Headquarters (HQ) Afghanistan National Air Force (ANAF), Kabul International Airport (KAIA), Kabul, AFG, and shot and killed eight U.S. Air Force (USAF) members and one civilian contractor.

(U/FOUO) Through witness statements, AFOSI determined SUBJECT acted alone during the following chain of events. On the morning of 27 Apr 11, DECEASED BRODEUR, DECEASED BRYANT, DECEASED AUSBORN, and DECEASED MCLAUGHLIN were in the ACCC to conduct the daily 1000 hours scheduling meeting that took place each Saturday through Wednesday. The DECEASEDs were mentors for Afghan personnel, to include SUBJECT, assigned to the ACCC. DECEASED AMBARD, DECEASED RANSOM, DECEASED BROWN and DECEASED ESTELLE had just arrived to the ACCC to receive training from DECEASED AMBARD on a communications encryption system. DECEASED RANSOM and DECEASED ESTELLE were on temporary duty (TDY) to KAIA and arrived the day prior to receive the necessary training to take back to their deployed locations to implement. DECEASED BROWN was in the ACCC because DECEASED BROWN worked for DECEASED AMBARD and wanted to learn as many communication systems she could. SUBJECT entered the ACCC with his issued Smith and Wesson 9 millimeter (mm) pistol on his belt holster. SUBJECT pulled out his pistol and opened fire. SUBJECT shot each of the Americans in the room multiple times, including one shot to each of the DECEASEDs' heads, except DECEASED MCLAUGHLIN. The investigation was unable to reveal who SUBJECT shot first. All DECEASEDs died at the scene except DECEASED BROWN; American first responders transported her to the French hospital emergency room where she died. Some of the individuals at the ACCC for the scheduled meeting were in the conference room adjacent to the ACCC when SUBJECT started to shoot. The individuals in the conference room fled into the hallway and out of the HQ ANAF Building. Capt                                        , 440th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron (ALAS), KAIA, AF, and Capt                               , 438 AEAS, KAIA, AF, stood guard with their weapons drawn. Once all the individuals were out of the room,                    and                    exited the conference room. DECEASED NYLANDER returned and assisted                    and                   . As SUBJECT                                exited the main door of the ACCC,                    and DECEASED NYLANDER fired at SUBJECT.                    then exited the HQ ANAF Building using the front entrance. First responders found DECEASED NYLANDER just outside of the rear glass doors of the HQ ANAF Building. SUBJECT received gunshot wounds during the exchange of gunfire with                    and DECEASED NYLANDER. SUBJECT then wrote in blood on opposite walls of the hallway, "God is one" and "God in your name" in Dari (an AFG dialect). SUBJECT went up the stairway in the main lobby to the G-2 intelligence office on the second floor. SUBJECT fired a round into one of the closed doom from the G-2 reception area. SUBJECT sat down on a couch and inflicted two apparent self-inflicted gunshots wounds to his torso and chest. Lab results on SUBJECT's camouflage uniform blouse were consistent with the upper left chest shot being at
close/intermediate range.

(U/FOUO) interviews: of SUBJECT's                    revealed SUBJECT and his                    lived in Pakistan for approximately 18 months between 2006 and 2008 and returned to AFG and military service approximately three years prior. SUBJECT's                    did not know why SUBJECT killed the Americans, but did say he had a mental condition as a result of a helicopter crash in approximately 1996.

(U/FOUO) SUBJECT's co-workers said SUBJECT was routinely late to work but his superiors did not have any disciplinary problems with him. One co-worker said SUBJECT would get very angry at seemingly minor problems; however, none of the co-workers believed SUBJECT was a religious radical.

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