A civilian shooting instructor at the Letterkenny Army Depot pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of a soldier at the facility earlier this year.
According to information filed on Monday in a Pennsylvania federal court, 38-year-old Sean Stark admitted to conducting “firearms training in a grossly negligent manner and with reckless disregard for human life” when he shot and killed 18-year-old PFC Krystofer Lopez.
In a press release, U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller called the “circumstances” of the March 12 incident “heartbreaking” for Lopez’s family. “I hope this prosecution brings some relief for the family while ensuring that justice is delivered,” he added.
Official details about the incident are scarce, as authorities have offered little information about it in court documents and public statements. However, the family has shared the details of their conversations with investigators.
The victim’s parents, Carmen and Hector Lopez, told the local NBC affiliate WGAL that Stark failed to comply with training protocols. They explained that he was supposed to keep his pistol loaded outside the facility and unloaded inside the facility. While he did the former during a smoke break, he did not do the latter.
Describing video from inside the classroom, investigators told the parents that Stark “followed the wrong protocol” by pointing a firearm at Lopez and instructing Lopez to point one back at him. During this exchange, Stark shot Lopez in the chest.
In previous reports published weeks after the incident, both the family and authorities said that although Lopez was wearing a bulletproof vest, the bullet pierced his chest and lodged in his spine.
Early reports also speculated that the shooting might have involved a defect in the M17 pistol reportedly used in the shooting, but that was untrue. The civilian version of the service weapon — the Sig Sauer P320 — has been the subject of dozens of lawsuits alleging the gun can go off without a trigger pull. However, the Pentagon published a report in August, saying that there “has never been a mechanically caused accidental discharge” with the full-size M17 or the compact M18.
In 2024 press materials, the Defense Department identified Stark as a police officer and firearms and active shooter instructor for the Directorate of Emergency Services, or DES, Law Enforcement at Letterkenny.
According to the Justice Department press release, Stark could be sentenced to up to eight years in federal prison, followed by a supervised release and fines.
