[null and void]

People have been killed with blanks, too.

[dayglored]

Jeff Cooper's Rules Of Gun Safety

RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED

RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY

RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET

RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET

Looks to me like this soldier didn't follow EITHER Rule 1 or Rule 2.

The more I think about this, the more I think it was not an accident.