In the UK, it was announced that a soldier had been shot dead by a near-sighted colleague during a routine training exercise in Wales because the soldier responsible for the murder had not put contact lenses on his eyes prior to the incident.
Sergeant Gavin Heller, 35, who was a member of the 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards, died on 4 March 2021 in Castle Martin, Pembrokeshire, according to British news agency BA Media.
An investigation report released by the Defense Security Administration said the committee concluded that the soldier made a mistake and fired at his colleague Heller instead of a target during training.
The committee concluded that not wearing prescribed corrective lenses had a significant impact on a soldier’s ability to “identify, aim and hit the right target”.
The report indicated that the shooter, who had served in the military for 18 months prior to the incident, had previously attempted to enlist but could not be declared unfit due to vision problems.
He added that the guard only met the minimum entry criteria for the army when wearing corrective lenses.
He made recommendations including making sure soldiers who require corrective lenses are aware of their responsibility to wear them “when performing all critical safety duties” and implementing a “guarantee mechanism” to ensure they wear them “in front of live fire.”
Source: db a