Authorities say they are investigating what led a war veteran to fatally shoot a teenaged girl who he had signed up for the Army Reserves before killing himself.
31-year-old Staff Sgt. Adam Arndt was found dead of a gunshot wound Monday morning inside his Germantown, Md., home, along with 17-year-old Michelle Miller, a senior at Rockville High School.
Police believe Arndt fatally shot Miller, who was signed up to enter the Army Reserves after graduation, before killing himself. A handgun was found at the home, police said.
Miller’s father, Kevin Miller, told The Associated Press on Monday night that he had not met Arndt but that his daughter had seemed “a little smitten with this guy.” He said she met him about four or five months ago.
Kevin Miller said his daughter left their Rockville home Sunday night, saying somebody in her platoon was suicidal. He said she stopped responding to his calls and text messages.
MyFoxDC.com reports friends and family members of Miller gathered at her high school Tuesday to remember her. Friends described her as strong, fun-loving and driven at the vigil.
Army recruiters are barred from fraternizing with recruits, a restriction that includes dating, inviting recruits to their homes or having any kind of personal relationship that would place undue influence on a recruit, said Kathleen Welker, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
Arndt, a native of Manitowoc, Wis., joined the Army in October 2003. He was deployed to Turkey from September 2009 to September 2010, and his decorations include a medal for service in the global war on terrorism. He has also served in Korea and Germany, according to personnel records released by the Army.
He was working as a human resources specialist before he was detailed in January 2011 to the recruiting office in Columbia, Md., Welker said. Such assignments typically last three years, after which soldiers can decide whether to become permanent recruiters or return to their previous occupations.
His duties would have included visiting schools, Welker said, although it was not clear Tuesday whether he had visited Rockville High School.
The investigation remains active and is focused on “determining how these two people died,” said Capt. Paul Starks, a Montgomery County police spokesman.
Dana Tofig, a county schools spokesman, said military recruiters routinely visit the county’s schools. The school system’s focus, he said, was helping those who knew Miller.
Grief counselors were visiting her classmates on Tuesday.
Kevin Miller said his daughter was excited to join the military and planned to use it to finance her college education.
“She had her life taken away from her on one fell swoop,” he said.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News