What Happened on September 5
An 18-year-old trainee, Pvt. Andrey Okunev of the Army National Guard died late Friday morning during rifle-range training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He suffered a fatal injury around 10:30 a.m. and was pronounced dead at 10:33 a.m. on site by medical personnel from General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital. No other trainees were injured.
Okunev belonged to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment—one of the basic training battalions on the installation. He was more than halfway through the Army’s 10-week Basic Combat Training course and slated to graduate on October 2.
The post confirmed the incident publicly the same day and later released his name. The case remains under investigation by Fort Leonard Wood law enforcement and the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID).
Who Pvt. Okunev Was
Officials identified Okunev as a National Guard soldier from California. At 18, he represented the newest cohort of Americans stepping forward to wear the uniform at a time when the Army has been pushing through growing basic-training numbers at Fort Leonard Wood. The Army has not yet released a detailed biography, hometown, or family statements as of this writing. What we do know is small and stark: a teenager in the early weeks of service, assigned to B/1-48, in the California Guard, preparing for his first graduation in the Army.
What We Know About How the Shooting Occurred
Here’s what’s official: the fatal injury happened “while training on a rifle range.” The post and multiple local outlets have not detailed the precise mechanics—no weapon systems have been identified beyond the setting, no bursts of friendly fire noted, no ricochet scenarios have been described in public releases. CID is investigating, which is standard for on-post deaths. To date, officials have not alleged foul play and have not listed criminal charges connected to this incident. In plain language: investigators aren’t tipping their hand, and the Army hasn’t said this was anything other than a training-range fatality under investigation.
It’s important to note that Fort Leonard Wood has handled both accidental deaths and criminal cases in recent years—one high-profile homicide unrelated to this event is moving toward court-martial, which is why CID involvement alone doesn’t signal malice here. It signals thoroughness.
The Setting: Bravo/1-48 on the Line
For trainees, the rifle range is where civilian habits burn off and soldiering begins to take hold. Range Operations on the post is built to manage thousands of new soldiers cycling across firing lines with layered safety protocols, range control, medics on standby, and drill sergeants running line-by-line instructions. Even in that environment, risk rides shotgun. When tragedy hits, the system locks down: cease-fires, medevac or on-site care kicks in, lanes are secured, statements, and initial CID statements are taken. That’s the rhythm echoed in Friday’s brief public updates.
How Pvt. Okunev Will Be Remembered
Inside B/1-48’s footprint, chaplains, grief counselors, and other mental health professionals are on call for the platoons that knew young Andrey best. That support posture tells its own story. Basic training is a pressure cooker for those transitioning from civilian life, but it’s also a strange new family—battle buddies arrive as strangers, learn to square their corners, lace up their boots the same way, and move as a formation.
For many of those new soldiers, the first memorial they’ll attend in uniform will now be for one of their own.
An Unfortunate Accident, or More?
Withholding judgment isn’t the slick or satisfying answer, but it’s the disciplined one. So far, public releases describe a fatal training injury and an active investigation. No public statement points to criminal conduct, and no parallel safety bulletin has been published that sheds new light on the chain of events. Absent facts, speculation is cheap—and fairness to Okunev, his family, and his platoon demands more than that. This looks, at present, like a tragic training death pending CID’s findings. When the Army speaks next—whether with an accidental-death determination, a safety advisory, or charges—those details will decide the call.
What Matters Now
A young Guardsman set out to become a soldier and never made it to the parade field. He was weeks from hearing his name called on Oct. 2. Somewhere in California, a family that handed their son to the service is now waiting on answers that will feel too slow and too thin for what they’ve lost. Back in the barracks at Fort Leonard Wood, trainees will step onto another range soon enough—because the mission doesn’t pause—but they’ll carry this loss with them.
If you’ve had military weapons training, you know the hum of the firing line: the crack of rounds sent downrange, the range-control voice on the net and booming out over loudspeakers, the brass at your feet. It’s routine—until something like this happens.
Key Takeaways
- Name: Pvt. Andrey Okunev, 18, California Army National Guard.
- Unit: Bravo Co., 1-48 Infantry Regiment (Basic Combat Training).
- Time/Date: Fatally injured on rifle range about 10:30 a.m.; pronounced dead at 10:33 a.m., Sept. 5, 2025.
- Status of probe: Under investigation by Fort Leonard Wood law enforcement and CID; no public allegation of foul play as of Sept. 9.
- Scheduled graduation: Oct. 2, 2025.