Pentagon Identifies Soldier Who Died of Gunshot in Haiti

The first U.S. soldier to die in Haiti has been identified by the Pentagon as Army Spec. Alejandro Robles of Los Angeles.

The cause of death remains under investigation, but military officials have said Robles, who would have been 21 today, apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Haiti was the third major deployment for Robles, who joined the Army in January, 1992, and was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division based in Ft. Drum, N.Y.

An Army spokesman said Robles, who died Tuesday, had also been part of the Hurricane Andrew relief effort in Florida and had served in Somalia.

Robles--so far the only member of the U.S. troops now deployed in Haiti to die there--was found shot to death in a northern area of Port-au-Prince.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince said the death occurred at a state guest house, Villa d’Accueil, where Haitian Parliament members stay. U.S. soldiers were cleaning the mansion and making security arrangements on the hillside estate above the capital city.

The Army said Robles was divorced and the father of an 18-month-old son, who lives with Robles’ former wife in Idaho. Robles’ father lives in Los Angeles and his mother in Pico Rivera.