William Kreutzer , Jr . William J . Kreutzer , Jr . ( born 1969 ) is a former United States Army soldier who was convicted of killing one officer and wounding 18 other soldiers when he opened fire on a physical training formation on October 27 , 1995 at Fort Bragg , North Carolina . Kreutzer was sentenced to death , but his sentence was later commuted to life in prison by the Army Court of Criminal Appeals in connection with concerns regarding mental illness . Biography . At trial , Kreutzer ' s high school vice principal Ms . Witczak testified that he was an " above average " student . He graduated from the University of Maryland . At the time of the shootings , Kreutzer ' s father was facing criminal charges for sex crimes against a teenage girl a decade earlier . Kreutzer entered the Army in February 1992 . By March 1993 , Kreutzer was assigned to the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division , and the following January followed the unit to deployment in the Sinai . During his time in the military , Kreutzer reported being the butt of practical joke s , and teasing from fellow soldiers . In the past , Kreutzer had reportedly told a friend that he knew what the record number of people killed in a rampage shooting was , and earned himself the nickname " Crazy Kreutzer " . In June 1994 , Kreutzer broke down in tears while on guard duty in the Sinai , and spoke of killing several other soldiers . He was disciplined , and sent to see the division ' s social worker , Darren Fong , who said he suffered from low self - esteem and anger management problems . He was deemed to not be a threat , but was disallowed weapons for two weeks following the incident . In October 1994 , Kreutzer attended the Primary Leadership Development Course to become a non - commissioned officer , and was promoted to the rank of sergeant . The shooting . The day before the shooting , Kreutzer confided in his former roommate Spc . Robert Harlan that he needed to talk to Fong again . When Harlan tried to calm him down , he replied " No , Harlan , it ’ s not going to be all right . " After the discussion , Kreutzer telephoned Spc . Burl Mays to inform him that he would be opening fire on the calisthenics field the next morning . Mays noticed Kreutzer missing at 5 am , and alerted his superiors who dismissed the claim , saying that Kreutzer was a " pussy " , but gave Mays permission to check Kreutzer ' s room , where he found a copy of his will . Kreutzer was hiding in the tree line , adjacent to a housing area , alongside Towle Stadium APF field , and eventually wounded 18 soldiers with a . 223 caliber / 5 . 56 Ball NATO AR - 15 / M - 16 A1 , a . 22 caliber Ruger rifle , and a 9 mm Glock semi - automatic pistol , and killed Major Stephen Mark Badger . Several Special Forces soldiers , SFC Tony Minor , SFC Bob Howes , SGT Edward Mongold , SFC Paul Rogers , and one or two others managed to get behind Kreutzer during the shooting , and tackled him to the ground ; the soldiers were awarded the Soldier ' s Medal . After the shootings . After arriving at the Criminal Investigation Division office , Kreutzer waived his rights and again asked to speak with Fong , who had since been reassigned . A psychiatrist , Dr . Diamond , was provided instead , since Kreutzer had invoked his right to silence and an attorney and refused to speak to the military police . Diamond interviewed Kreutzer and reported that he seemed delusional and severely distraught . The following day , Lt . Cmdr Messer ( also a doctor of psychiatry ) performed a suicide assessment , and declared that there were " definite mental health issues " involved . The following week , Kreutzer asked to speak to a private civilian psychiatrist , for which he would pay . Dr . Rollins attended Kreutzer until he was unable to continue paying the psychiatric bills . On December 8 , a board of doctors from the military hospital deemed Kreutzer mentally fit to stand trial . Colonel Peter Brownback presided over the trial . During the trial , Kreutzer claimed , " I wanted to send a message to the chain - of - command that had forgotten the welfare of the common soldier . " Kreutzer was assigned as prisoner 76651 - 95 - 01 on the US Military ' s death row at the United States Disciplinary Barracks Fort Leavenworth , one of eight prisoners at the time , and the only Caucasian . He remained the only Caucasian inmate until the addition of Andrew Witt to Death Row . Colonel James Currie of the Army Court of Criminal Appeals commuted Kreutzer ' s death sentence , citing that his lawyer had not properly informed the courts of his client ' s mental illnesses . Colonel Michael Chapman participated as one of the appellate judges who heard the appeal . On March 10 , 2009 , Kreutzer re - pleaded guilty to one count of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder and 16 counts of aggravated assault . The plea deal will spare him the death penalty , and he now faces up to life in prison . Military justice , as a rule , does provide for parole of prisoners , though it is unclear whether Kreutzer will qualify for parole within his natural life span . On March 24 , 2009 , after a trial at Fort Bragg , North Carolina , Kreutzer was convicted of one specification of premeditated murder , 18 specifications of attempted murder , one specification of violating a general order by transporting weapons on post , and one specification of larceny of government property ( theft of government ammunition ) . Prior to his sentencing , Kreutzer stood at attention while a member of his defense team read his unsworn statement to members of the court : According to the " Army News Service " , in Kreutzer ' s unsworn statement he closed with saying he can ' t change the past , so his heartfelt and sincere desire was to provide any measure of help , closure , and comfort he can to all of his victims . Another member of Kreutzer ' s defense team made brief remarks , suggesting clemency in the sentencing since Kreutzer had been a role model prisoner for the past 13 years . Colonel Patrick Parrish , the military judge at Fort Bragg , then ruled that in addition to life in prison , Kreutzer should be reduced in rank to E - 1 , forfeit pay and allowances , and be given a dishonorable discharge .