Suspect Arrested for Lying About Fatal Air Force Shooting Involving Sig Sauer Pistol

An airman has been arrested as a part of the Air Drive World Strike Command’s investigation into the dying of an airman at a Wyoming base that had prompted the division to halt using the Sig Sauer M18 pistol.

On Friday, the Air Drive Public Affairs workplace introduced an replace to the investigation into the July incident, which took the lifetime of Airman Brayden Lovan and led to a pause in using the M18 pistol throughout the World Strike Command. Officers have accused the arrested airman, who has not been named, of killing Lovan in addition to mendacity to investigators and making an attempt to derail the investigation.

“Air Drive authorities are conducting a complete investigation into the information and circumstances of the deadly firearm discharge at F.E. Warren AFB on 20 July 2025 that concerned an M18 pistol,” An Air Drive Spokesperson instructed The Reload. “Out of an abundance of warning and primarily based on preliminary reporting, Air Drive authorities ordered varied security precautions involving the M18 after this tragic occasion. Since then, the investigation has progressed, and a person has now been arrested on suspicion of creating a false official assertion, obstruction of justice, and involuntary manslaughter.”

This arrest challenges the unique narrative surrounding the incident by calling into query the circumstances across the airman’s dying. Within the wake of the incident and grounding of the M18, which shares a typical platform with the civilian P320, many commentators extrapolated that the gun could have gone off by itself and accused Sig Sauer of fielding a harmful design. This replace to the investigation suggests the gun’s design could not have been a contributing issue to the capturing.

The Air Drive World Strike Command oversees nuclear deterrence and international bombing operations. It paused using the M18 after the July incident and hasn’t introduced its return to service but. The gun had been issued to your complete command, alongside most branches of the navy, on the time of the incident. The Command briefly changed the M18 pistol with the M4 rifle throughout the investigation.

“Air Drive World Strike Command has paused use of the M18 Modular Handgun System, efficient July 21, 2025, till additional discover,” a World Strike spokesperson instructed The Reload final month.

The Sig Sauer M18 and P320 have come below elevated scrutiny following the incident, including to prior allegations that the weapon could also be susceptible to uncommanded discharges–that means the gun would possibly hearth with no set off pull. Different federal and state authorities companies have taken related measures as a consequence of security considerations with the pistol’s design. Some police departments have even transitioned away from use of the gun.

Quite a few shops reported earlier this month that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) barred brokers from carrying the P320 regardless of having a contract with Sig to make use of the firearms. Nevertheless, Sig claimed shortly afterward that ICE had prolonged its P320 contract. ICE has not responded to a number of requests from The Reload for touch upon its use of the P320.

Sig Sauer continues to assert the P320 can’t hearth with no set off pull.

“The P320 CANNOT, below any circumstances, discharge with out the set off first being moved to the rear,” the corporate stated in an announcement posted to its web site. “This has been verified by exhaustive testing by SIG SAUER engineers, the U.S. Army, a number of main federal and state legislation enforcement companies, and unbiased laboratories.”

The corporate continues to face lawsuits for alleged uncommanded discharges of the P320. No less than three juries have sided with folks claiming the gun’s design, particularly the shortage of a set off security tab, led to uncommanded photographs. Most just lately, a jury discovered the corporate accountable for an officer’s dying in Massachusetts after they concluded that design flaws with the P320 led to the uncommanded discharge that killed an officer.

Sig has additionally gone on the offensive in courtroom over the P320’s alleged questions of safety. It just lately sued a police coaching fee in Washington state for barring using the pistol at their coaching facility. Final week, a Washington Choose denied Sig’s movement for a keep to reverse the company’s ban on the idea that Sig is unlikely to ascertain standing or win on the deserves of its claims.

The M18 stays in use by practically all the Army following the incident. The Air Drive stated the arrest doesn’t imply the investigation into the incident at F.E. Warren is over.

“As with all people accused of against the law, the particular person arrested on this case is presumed to be harmless till confirmed responsible in a courtroom of legislation,” a spokesperson instructed The Reload. “The investigation on this case is ongoing and additional particulars are usually not obtainable.”