However, Sergeant Wuterich will face trial on the charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, dereliction of duty, along with other charges according to an official. Sgt. Wuterich has said that he was operating within the rules of military combat. The decision to not put Wuterich on trial for murder was made by Lieutenant General Samuel Helland, the officer in charge of the case.
Twenty-four civilians died as a result. The death toll included three women, several elderly men, and seven children. According to witnesses, the shootings were in revenge for a roadside bomb that killed Marine Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas as his convoy drove through the town.
While the US military first reported the Iraqis were killed by an IED or in a fight with insurgents. But witnesses say that the troops shot five men in a car when they approached the bombing. They were riding in a taxi.
But there is no full US investigation despite the killings until January 2006