(Gallagher had deployed to Iraq as part of SEAL Team 7). "The people you're lying about are your current teammates, correct?" The boy had a collapsed lung and couldn't breathe so Gallagher opened his throat to insert a breathing tube, he testified. Vriens testified that he immediately mentioned the incident to his platoon commander, Lt. Jacob Portier, though he did not mention Gallagher. Parlatore added that they despised Gallagher for being an 'old school, hard-charging warrior'. A Navy prosecutor immediately leapt from his chair in the courtroom and angrily accused Special Operator Scott of lying, saying that on one crucial point after another, his testimony contradicted what he had told Navy criminal investigators and lawyers in at least five interviews. Dalton Tolbert, another witness, said he fired a warning shot at an old man during a sniper mission with Gallagher. The man ran away, Tolbert said, but fell after another sniper fired. Lt. Jacob Portier, the officer in charge, has been charged separately for overseeing the ceremony and not reporting the alleged stabbing. Gallagher has been accused of murdering a wounded ISIS fighter and using his sniper rifle to indiscriminately fire on noncombatants. He testified that he did not see anything like Dille had described. Before Special Operator Scotts testimony, a succession of other SEALs took the stand to describe the morning in May 2017 when the wounded teenage fighter was brought in. However, a screenshot of a text message thread obtained by Task & Purpose showed that Tolbert had referred to Rugh as this shady ass judge., According to a source familiar with the matter, Tolbert also wrote in the text message thread, what a fucking joke. He did not see him pull the trigger either time. Gallagher also took photos of himself with the corpse. The Navy notified the witness, Special Operator First Class Corey Scott, on Tuesday that it was considering charging him with lying under oath in the trial of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, according to an email sent to the witnesss lawyer. Inside Frogmore Cottage: Plush home Harry and Meghan have been 'evicted' from by King Charles boasts a roomy Sussexes' cheerleader Omid Scobie says Frogmore Cottage was Harry and Meghan's 'one remaining space in UK' A royal princess at Eton? In his testimony, Dille said there's a clear line in the sand between both camps of current and former SEALs on what is acceptable behavior in combat. The email says that Special Operator Scott testified directly contrary to previous official statements thus exposing him to prosecution.. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. A San Diego judge had a defendants 13-year-old daughter handcuffed. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. 'Hes got a wife and family,' Scott added on the stand about Gallagher. He said the date stuck out in his mind because he thought the man was probably a father. He also founded and edits Duffel Blog, an influential satirical newsletter for the military. Bernie Kerik, former New York Police Department commissioner and a close family friend of the Gallaghers, wrote on Instagram: At what point does the government admit that this case should have never been brought in the first place?. When he asks you, do not lie or embellish that way nobody can say that we slandered him.. Brian JohnNavy SEAL Eddie GallagherTim Parlatore. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Supervisors explore ways to offset vehicle traffic from new rural housing, Column: Padres offense inspires bright forecasts as Petco Parks worst clouds have lifted. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. I see an issue with that, Tolbert texted others. But he replied to the defense that he didn't know where the shot came from. Time to man the fuck up fags., If the motherfucking courthouse burned down, I did it, Tolbert wrote, according to the source. The Navy has said its considering perjury charges against Scott. During the deployment, the platoon had men in two bombed-out towers near the Tigris River east of Mosul. "As soon as I looked at those four girls, I saw the girl in the gray dress clutch her stomach," Vriens said. All the forensics show there was no stabbing., Perhaps he saw a movement that wasnt actually a stabbing, Parlatore added. On Thursday, the prosecutions star witness, medic Navy SEAL Special Operator 1st Class Corey Scott, shocked the courtroom by admitting that he was the one who killed a wounded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria fighter, not Gallagher, as he is accused of doing. It may have high consequences down the road., Parlatore told the Union-Tribune, this is clearly a threat., Tolbert wrote in one text: Im going to burn this m-----f------ courthouse to the ground. I know guys are all in different situations right now, he wrote. Later that day, after the mission, Graffam said he spoke with Dille about the shooting and they disagreed about the circumstances. ", Vriens said that Gallagher replied: "Yes, I stabbed him in the side, then grabbed him by the hair and looked him in the eyes and I stabbed him in the neck. One of the SEALs told the court on Tuesday that he'd seen Gallagher shoot at an elderly Iraqi man and group of women as they collected water from a river. ADVERTISEMENT The Islamic State fighter had been captured by Iraqi forces following house-to-house fighting in Mosul and dumped on the ground at a base outside the Iraqi city, the prosecution said in its opening statement on Monday. "Did you do this with the specific intent that Eddie be sent to jail before trial?" However, the immunity agreement covers only truthful testimony, and is void if he is found to have lied under oath. Among the witnesses to testify Friday was Dalton Tolbert, a member of SEAL Team 7 who served with Gallagher in Mosul in 2017. He later boasted in a text, got him with my hunting knife. Defense lawyers say it was just a warriors attempt at dark humor. He also brought up text messages Tolbert sent that were critical of the judge a Navy captain who he called "shady" and Parlatore, who he referred to as a "retard lawyer," in addition to claims that he currently worked with people who didn't care about killing innocent civilians. Conservative media outlets have portrayed Chief Gallagher as a wrongly accused military hero and have given his family and supporters a forum to argue that his accusers are liars and malcontents. The case has laid bare challenges among US special forces as the United States increasingly relies on such troops, who make up only 2 percent of the military yet carry out most of its battles. (She) went down on all fours.. Another SEAL, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Dalton Tolbert, had previously testified under direct examination by prosecutors that, while stationed in the south tower of a bombed-out building in June 2017, he had observed Gallagher shoot and kill an elderly civilian. Former SO1 Dylan Dille, who was also in the south tower that day, testified last week that he watched an old man die from a sniper shot on Father's Day. SEAL sniper Dalton Tolbert told the court he did not recall who started the chat group but that the intent was to talk with others who were disturbed by what they saw on the deployment and decide what to do. - 7 Veteran-Friendly Manufacturers That Are Hiring, - The 6 Types Of Contractors You Encounter Overseas, - Heres How Marines Fared On The New Physical Fitness Test, Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved, "He ran north to south across the road," Tolbert. He has pleaded not guilty. The chief has pleaded not guilty, and denies all the charges against him. San Diegos Golden Hall shelter to close, hundreds of homeless people to be relocated, See how much San Diego Countys school superintendents were paid in 2021, To help solve the child care crisis, new legislation would cap families costs and pay providers more, State high court says being a cheerleader on social media not enough to support gang conspiracy verdict, San Diego police want to power up some Smart Streetlights; add license plate readers as crime-fighting tool, Should backcountry builders fund city sidewalks and bike lanes? A number of special forces members are on trial this year. Since joining T&P, he has led a talented team of writers, editors, and creators who produce military journalism reaching millions of readers each month. And Marine Staff Sgt. The comments below have not been moderated. Navy SEAL charged with murder was targeted for being 'old school,' attorney says. His testimony on Thursday blindsided some of his friends in the SEAL platoon who text one another regularly in a group chat that they call the sewing circle, according to one SEAL in the circle. Other girls ran away while one girl, who was wearing a blue dress, attempted to drag the wounded girl away to safety. He's got more imagination than J.R. Reporting by Marty Graham; Additional reporting and writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bill Tarrant, Leslie Adler and Rosalba OBrien. But he is ready to fight and kill.. I shot more warning shots to save civilians from Eddie than I ever did at ISIS. As Ive said since the beginning of this case, the best defense for Chief Gallagher is the truth. The seven-sailor jury at the court martial must decide whether the fighters death was murder as alleged by the prosecution or a mutiny by sailors under Gallaghers command in Iraq, as the defense contends. 'This is a group of young disgruntled sailors that didn't like being told that they were cowards,' the lawyer said and added they made the story up On Friday, SEAL Dalton Tolbert testified that he fired a warning shot at an old man during their 2017 tour and afterwards the man was hit by another shot According to the testimony, as the old Lieutenant Portier has been charged with failing to report the killing. Gallagher, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Special Warfare Operator First Class Joshua Vriens said that he was viewing a photo of the stabbed fighter on a laptop with some other SEALs when Gallagher walked in. The Navy has said its considering perjury charges against Scott. Some of the men called the area Murder Alley. 'This is a group of young disgruntled sailors that didn't like being told that they were cowards and so they decided they conspired to take down the chief. Follow Task & Purpose on Twitter. Published Jun 21, 2019 3:45 PM EDT. Several weeks ago, the judge, Navy Capt. Gallagher is also charged with attempted murder in the wounding of two civilians, a schoolgirl and an elderly man, shot from a snipers perch in Iraq. The WhatsApp group would eventually lead to formal allegations that Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher fatally stabbed a wounded Islamic State captive in his care and shot civilians in Iraq in 2017. Miller said he told the platoons officer in charge about the stabbing during their tour but that nothing happened. ", Seeking to challenge Vriens' credibility, Parlatore brought up text messages and his previous statements to investigators. Parlatore had told reporters prior to heading into court that the story is a big lie. He testified that after the stabbing, the captive was still in stable condition, but that he then placed his thumb over the captives breathing tube, asphyxiating him. Gallagher interrupted the meeting, Tolbert said, and told the group, I thought you guys were cool with it. The email was addressed to Brian Ferguson, a civilian lawyer representing Special Operator Scott. The Navy official said that Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents and Navy prosecutors would be able to testify in a perjury trial that the medic had repeatedly given them a very different account of the captives death: that he saw Chief Gallagher stab the captive two or three times, not once; that he saw blood rushing from the stab wounds; that the wounds were fatal; and that Special Operator Scott had watched the captive stop breathing and die from those wounds. I saw Eddie Gallagher shoot someone who didnt deserve to die, Tolbert said. Members of the platoon who reported Chief Gallaghers actions to superiors more than a year ago say they have come under heavy pressure since then over breaking a widespread culture of silence in the secretive, tight-knit SEAL teams. No matter the outcome, the court-martial at Naval Base San Diego has provided a rare view into the insular Navy SEAL community and likely will have a long-term impact on one of the militarys most secretive and revered forces. An Iraqi general who handed the wounded prisoner to the SEALs testified that Gallagher did not stab the boy. It has pitted veterans against each other both inside the courtroom and out in a fierce debate over brotherhood, morality and loyalty. Seven SEALs said Gallagher unexpectedly stabbed the prisoner on May 3, 2017, moments after he and the other medics treated the 17-year-old boy. They are not brothers at all.. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Rugh on Thursday. Closing arguments are expected Monday. "I work with plenty of guys that don't." That goes beyond mere words to include what others might say on the stand or other pieces of evidence investigators uncover, Navy Times Carl Prine reported. A SEAL says he thinks he heard Gallagher (pictured) say:'You guys missed him but I got him' after an old man was shot in Iraq. Gallagher, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder stemming from his 2017 tour of duty in Iraq. As another SEAL explained in previous testimony, firing warning shots to keep civilians off the battlefield was a standard practice, according to their rules of engagement. Giorgio Kirylo said after the militant died that he moved the body to take a cool guy trophy photo with it and saw no stab wounds on his neck.