Fort Lewis soldier shot on Iraq base

The parents of a Fort Lewis soldier killed in Iraq earlier this month say someone shot their daughter on an American military base near Kirkush. Staff Sgt. Amy Tirador of Colonie, N.Y., died Nov. 4 in what the military called a noncombat incident. Her mother told The News Tribune on Tuesday that her 29-year-old daughter was shot execution-style, in the back of the head. The military is investigating, a process that could take two or three months. Until then, officials are releasing few details. "It was not a suicide," said her mother, Colleen Murphy. "And it was not an accident. There are so many scenarios about what could have happened, and that's why everyone is being so closed-mouthed about it." Tirador served as an Arabic-speaking interrogator in Diyala province with the 209th Military Intelligence Company, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. A spokesman for the American military unit overseeing operations throughout northern Iraq said investigators are still determining whether Tirador's death was accidental, a suicide or a homicide.