The Office of Special Investigations at Travis Air Force Base in California is investigating an airman who allegedly threatened children playing behind his home and brandished a gun at neighbors.
Local news station Fox 40 on Dec. 23 posted portions of a video documenting some of the Dec. 21 confrontation between neighbors, which Travis said occurred at base housing. One neighbor, identified only as Kameron, told Fox 40 that a group of eight children, including three of his own, were playing catch with pine cones behind a man’s house.
A pine cone hit the man’s fence, Kameron told Fox 40, which prompted the argument. The video indicates the man believed the kids were throwing bricks at his house. Kameron told local reporters that the man cocked and aimed a gun at his head over the fence, and also threatened the children. Another parent called security forces, Fox 40 reported, and the situation de-escalated when they began to arrive.
Tonya Racasner, a spokeswoman for the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis, said that wing officials “are aware of the incident that occurred in base housing on the night of Monday, Dec. 21.”
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“The Air Force, to include our leadership here at Travis AFB, takes the safety and security of our airmen and families as well as any allegations of misconduct by any airman very seriously,” Racasner said. “The case is being investigated by Travis Air Force Base Office of Special Investigations.”
Racasner said the unidentified airman is still present and reporting for duty at this time, and that he is unarmed in his routine duties. Travis would not confirm Fox 40′s report that he is a security forces airman, and referred other questions to OSI.
Racasner also said that information on an alleged weapon in the incident and where it came from “is considered investigative details,” and that the Air Force could not comment further on it.
In his interview with Fox 40, Kameron was not satisfied with the Air Force’s response.
“Their response is, ‘Oh we took his weapon,’” Kameron told Fox 40. “Well if he’s going to threaten kids, and then pull out a gun on an adult, how is his mind working right now, and how is that safe?”
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
