A soldier assigned to Fort Hood in central Texas was shot to death at an apartment complex off-post in a triple slaying that remains under investigation by local and military authorities.
On Tuesday, police in neighboring Killeen, Texas, identified the slain soldier as Specialist Freddy Beningo Delacruz, Jr., a 23-year-old man originally from Vidalia, Ga. He joined the Army in 2017 as a cavalry scout and had been assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, officials said.
On March 14, Killeen police officers were sent to a local apartment complex to investigate reports of gunfire. They were unable to find any victims and returned to duty. They were later called back to the complex to investigate reports of a leak leading from one apartment to the other.
They went inside an unlocked apartment and located the bodies of Spc. Delacruz and two other people, identified as Asia Cline, 22 and Shaquan Allred, 23. Like Spc. Delacruz, each had been shot to death, authorities said.
The motive for the triple murder remains under investigation, police said.
His battalion commander at Fort Hood called Spc. Delacruz an “outstanding Trooper.”
“Each one of us in the battalion are grateful for having known him and we collectively grieve his loss,” said Lt. Col. Steven E. Jackowski of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment. “I would like to send my deepest, heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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