Drill sergeant pleads guilty in crash that killed 2 recruits

FORT JACKSON, S.C. (AP) — A drill sergeant at Fort Jackson in South Carolina has pleaded guilty to accidentally killing two recruits who were marching in front of his vehicle in 2017.

The Post and Courier reports Andrew Marrow testified Monday that he was running on four hours of sleep while driving a truck behind a group of marching U.S. Army recruits. He said he fell asleep and awoke to screams.

Pvt. Ethan Shrader, of Tennessee, and Pvt. Timothy Ashcraft, of Ohio, were pinned beneath the truck and later died. Other recruits were critically wounded. A 2018 Army report partly blamed Marrow’s superiors for his exhaustion.

Marrow pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty and negligent homicide and could face prison as well as a dishonorable discharge. His court martial resumes Tuesday with witness statements.