A Fort Riley, Kansas, soldier was killed by police on Tuesday after an armed altercation with police in front of a nearby Walmart, according to The Associated Press.
Spc. Peter James Robbins, 23, was killed by Junction City police officers, a Fort Riley release confirmed on Wednesday.
“Our team is prepared to fully support Spc. Robbins’ family, teammates and friends through these challenging times,” said Lt. Col. Richard Ikena Jr., the soldier‘s battalion commander, in a statement.
Robbins was a field artillery radar operator with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, according to the release.
Officers approached Robbins on the sidewalk near a Walmart in Junction City after responding to a report of an ”armed disturbance,” a Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman told AP.
Robbins was carrying two handguns at the time, the spokeswoman said.
“The man was told to drop his weapons and when the confrontation escalated, four officers from the two agencies fired at the man, killing him,” AP reported.
Robbins, who deployed to Iraq in June 2014 and South Korea in October 2016, joined the Army in early 2013 and had been at Fort Riley since that August, according to the Army’s release.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
