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Key witness in Navy SEAL case stuns court by taking blame
By JULIE WATSON and BRIAN MELLEY
58 minutes ago
SAN DIEGO (AP) — When prosecutors called a special forces medic to testify, they expected him to bolster their case against a decorated Navy SEAL accused of stabbing an Islamic State fighter in his care.
Corey Scott delivered in part, saying Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher unexpectedly plunged a knife into the adolescent detainee in 2017 after treating his wounds in Iraq.
But the government was floored by what came next: Scott took the blame for the killing, saying he suffocated the boy in an act of mercy shortly after Gallagher stabbed him.
It was a stunning twist in an already tumultuous case — illustrating the challenges of prosecuting war crimes cases, especially those involving members of the secretive special forces. The turn of events also exposed the risk that prosecutors take when immunity is granted to witnesses.