Fort Jackson identifies teenage recruit who was shot during training

A teen recruit with Fort Jackson is in critical condition on Saturday after being shot during training, according to base officials.

Fort Jackson spokeswoman L.A. Sully identified the recruit as 17-year-old Abraham Koh of Los Banos, California. Koh is an active duty trainee, Sully said.

Koh was shot during basic training on Friday, Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr. said.

How Koh was shot or who shot him has not been released.

Paramedics rushed him to a Columbia hospital where he underwent surgery, officials said. He is still in the hospital.

Koh is part of C Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment. The unit paused its training to deal with any emotional effects of the traumatic experience, Sully said.

No other soldiers were injured. Military investigators are still looking into the incident.

Fort Jackson trains 48,000 basic training trainees and another 12,000 advanced training trainees and soldiers each year.

David Travis Bland

The State

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David Travis Bland is The State’s editorial editor. In his prior position as a reporter, he was named the 2020 South Carolina Journalist of the Year by the SC Press Association. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010. Support my work with a digital subscription