Four U.S. Soldiers Charged in Home Invasion Leaving Four Wounded

LAWTON, Oklahoma – Four soldiers from Fort Sill in Oklahoma were charged in a home invasion in which four people were shot and wounded.

Three of the Fort Sill soldiers in Oklahoma broke into the home in Lawton on Sept. 20, and the fourth served as the getaway driver, prosecutors contend in charging documents filed Tuesday. Prosecutors did not immediately respond to phone messages Wednesday seeking comment and further details about the attack.

The three who allegedly entered the home -- Pvt. Richard Daley, 24; Pfc. Claude Byrd II, 27; and Pfc. Kevon McLaren, 22 -- were each charged Tuesday with one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, three counts of first-degree robbery, and five counts of kidnapping.

McLaren, who witnesses said fired the shots, according to a probable cause affidavit, was also charged with shooting with intent to kill and first-degree burglary.

The alleged getaway driver, 20-year-old Pfc. Jared Berman, was charged with being an accessory to a crime.

The four were in jail Wednesday and online court records did not list attorneys for any of them.

According to affidavits filed in the case, McLaren shot the four adult victims and he, Daley and Byrd stole several items from the apartment in Lawson, southwest of Oklahoma City and where the post is located.

Fort Sill commander Maj. Gen. David Halverson said in a statement Tuesday that post officials are cooperating with the investigation.

"This was an isolated incident, well outside the norm in terms of the way our soldiers behave off-duty, and especially in Lawton, where our various unit relationships and community support initiatives have showcased our soldiers as good neighbors," Halverson said.

The four soldiers are assigned to the 75th Fires Brigade, which Fort Sill spokesman Keith Pannell described as a field and air defense artillery unit.