Last Friday, Army rangers fired blank rounds near bystanders at a Florida beach festival; the incident led to the suspension of 18 rangers, Task and Purpose first reported.
“The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island near Fort Walton Beach, Florida, on Friday, May 16. We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome of the investigation. No further information is available at this time,” Jennifer S. Gunn, a spokeswoman for the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, said at the time.
Initially, the Rangers had been cleared to fire blanks for a mock sea battle — one of the scheduled events for Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival — a pirate festival that Fort Walton Beach has been putting on for 69 years.
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