An Army noncommissioned officer assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was killed in a shooting this week, service officials announced Friday.
In what appeared to be an unrelated incident, another soldier serving in the Army's Special Operations Command, also at the same base, was arrested on attempted murder charges tied to the shooting of his fiancee.
The pair of shootings comes during a turbulent stretch for the Army, occurring days after more than a dozen soldiers serving in Fort Bragg Special Forces units became the subject of a probe into a potential drug trafficking ring.
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Staff Sgt. Jimmy Lee Smith III was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday in Raeford, North Carolina. It is unclear what led to the shooting. A spokesperson with the Hoke County Sheriff's Office did not return a request for comment ahead of this story's publication.
“Jimmy was more than just an NCO, he was a mentor, a shoulder to cry on, a comedian at times, but most of all a great friend,” said Spc. Roenice Todd, a soldier who served with Smith, said in a statement. “It was truly an honor to be able to learn from him.”
Smith, an Army cook, enlisted in 2016 and previously served in the 2nd Infantry Division and 82nd Airborne Division before being assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group's support battalion. He…
