The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has released their findings after completing an investigation into the death of a recon Marine at the Multi-Mission Parachute Course on Jan. 22.
Cpl. Alejandro Romero was killed during a double-bag static line jump at the school in Coolidge, Arizona.
After the incident, the Marine Corps launched an initial investigation and suspended double-bag static line jumps.
According to the NCIS investigation, obtained by Marine Corps Times through a Freedom of Information Act Request, Romero was killed in a jump mishap when his main and reserve parachute failed to fully function.
The investigation found that Romero had a clean exit from the aircraft but grabbed his risers before his parachute had fully inflated- putting him into a spin.
Witnesses on the ground saw Romero’s attempt to cut away his main chute as it was not fully inflated and in a 360-degree turn.
He was unsuccessful at cutting away his main before he deployed his reserve which never fully inflated due to the main still “streaming in trail.”
After he made contact with the ground, rescue personnel performed CPR and airlifted him to a hospital in Florence, Arizona where he was pronounced dead.
Romero was a reconnaissance scout from Carson, California who had been assigned to the 3rd Recon Battalion in Okinawa, Japan, according to the Marines.
His awards included the National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
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