Soldier Charged With Murder in Panama Action

An Army sergeant from Ft. Bragg, N.C., has been charged with premeditated murder and three counts of aggravated assault of Panamanian civilians during “Operation Just Cause” in Panama, the Army said today.

Sgt. Roberto Enrique Bryan, of Headquarters Co., 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, was formally notified of the charges by the Army Criminal Investigation Command Tuesday at Ft. Bragg.

The murder charge is the most serious of more than 60 incidents involving American soldiers arising from the Dec. 20 invasion of Panama. The Army’s CIC reportedly has conducted 21 formal investigations.

Bryan is charged with the murder of “an unidentified Panamanian man by shooting him with an M-16 rifle on or about Dec. 23 at or near Madden Dam in Panama,” the Army announced in a statement released from Ft. Bragg.

He is also charged with assaulting an unidentified Panamanian man by striking him in the hand with the butt of his rifle on or about Dec. 20 near Madden Dam, with striking another man in the head with the butt of his rifle about Dec. 20, and striking a third man in the back with a section of rubber hose about Dec. 21.

The Army released no other details.

The Army Times, an independent defense trade publication, reported in March that the investigation was nearly complete and that a senior noncommissioned officer would be charged with murder.

The Army Times said the suspect, Bryan, and other soldiers were manning a checkpoint at a roadblock in Panama during the invasion when several Panamanians drove up. When the Panamanians were ordered to halt, someone inside the car tossed a grenade at the soldiers.

The soldiers then fired on the car, killing several occupants. The surviving passengers quickly surrendered, got out of the car and were taken prisoner.

Bryan allegedly shot one of the unarmed prisoners and severely beat at least one other, The Army Times said, quoting unidentified Army sources.

Army spokesmen at Ft. Bragg declined comment on the Army Times report.