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BOSTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine who was named "Marine of the Year" last month for his service in Iraq pleaded not guilty on Monday to attempted murder after he opened fire on a crowd outside a Massachusetts nightclub, wounding two people. Daniel Cotnoir, who has been treated for post-war stress since serving in Iraq where he worked as a mortician preparing bodies of U.S. soldiers for burial, was accused by police of firing a shotgun from a window of his apartment in Lawrence into a group of revelers early Saturday after having complained to police about the noise. Two people were injured in the incident. At a Monday court hearing Cotnoir pleaded not guilty to two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of illegally discharging a firearm, his lawyer, Robert Kelley, said. He is being held without bail for 20 days at Bridgewater State Hospital where he will undergo psychiatric tests to see if he is fit to stand trial, Kelley said. Cotnoir felt threatened by the crowd after a bottle thrown from below crashed through his closed window and cut him in the finger, Kelley said. To protect himself, his wife and children, Cotnoir fired a warning shot into what he thought was a safe area but the bullet ricocheted off cement and fragments hit two people, Kelley said. The veteran was recently voted Marine of the Year 2005 by the Marine Corps Times for being an "'everyday hero' who exemplifies outstanding professionalism, concern for other service members and community service." In an interview with a local newspaper, Cotnoir described collecting bloodied body parts of dead soldiers after blasts in Iraq and said he had sought counseling at a veterans hospital after returning home because his war-time job took a heavy psychological toll on him. |
