Navy will not file criminal charges after the drowning of SEAL trainee
SUMMARY
The Navy won't file criminal charges stemming from the drowning death of Seaman James Derek Lovelace in SEAL training.
The San Diego County medical examiner had ruled the 21-year-old sailor's May 6, 2016, death in a swim tank in Coronado a homicide, saying in a July 2016 autopsy report that the "actions, or inactions, of the instructors and other individuals involved were excessive and directly contributed to the death."
Navy Cdr. Liam Hulin, director of the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, reviewed the findings of a Naval Criminal Investigative Services probe and determined that Lovelace's drowning "was not the result of a crime and will not pursue criminal charges against any personnel in connection with the death," according to a statement issued on April 10 to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Lovelace family," said Hulin in the statement. "No loss of life in training is an acceptable loss."
A safety review into the incident that had been put on pause by the criminal investigation will now begin, according to the Navy.
The 21-year-old Lovelace died during Combat Swimmer Orientation, a test that takes place in the first week of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training to assess a SEAL candidate's swimming abilities.
Students tread water and perform what the Navy says are survival skills that include removing a swim mask, uniform, and their boots.
The county medical examiner's autopsy report revealed that a SEAL instructor repeatedly dunked Lovelace and that the student's drowning was exacerbated by a heart condition.
"To honor those who have fallen in combat we must provide the most realistic and operationally relevant training possible. To honor those who have fallen in training we must effectively mitigate the risks of that training," said Capt. Jay Hennessey, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Training Center.
"[Naval Special Warfare] training has been refined over more than 50 years, informed throughout by lessons learned in combat overseas as well as in training at home. We learn not only from our successes, but also from operational and training failures, mistakes and accidents. While these tragic occasions are infrequent, they greatly impact our small close-knit force and magnify the responsibility we feel to our teammates who have paid the ultimate price."
The medical examiner's probe indicated that Lovelace suffered from an anomalous coronary artery, which might have contributed to sudden cardiac death during the intensive training exercise. Although Lovelace appeared conscious when pulled out of the pool, witnesses said his [skin] had turned purple, his lips blue.
Navy officials have long contended that the medical examiner's homicide ruling meant only that Lovelace died "at the hands of another" and did not necessarily suggest a crime had been committed.
Lovelace was from Crestview, Florida. Navy officials briefed his father in Florida on April 8.
"We have maintained contact with the Lovelace family," said Naval Special Warfare spokesman Capt. Jason Salata. "Our primary point of contact, is Seaman Lovelace's father. He is designated as his official next of kin, as a courtesy the Navy has also reached out to Seaman Lovelace's siblings and offered counseling and other services. As part of the prosecutorial review of this case, the father's input was carefully considered."
In an email to the Union-Tribune, Salata said that the criminal probe followed Pentagon protocols standard to any death that occurs in training. Led by the Navy Region Southwest's chief trial counsel, a team of prosecutors with no ties to the SEALs reviewed the probe's findings before they were forwarded to Naval Special Warfare's commanders.
When asked by the Union-Tribune if any SEAL instructors would receive letters of reprimand or counseling statements for their role in the incident, Salata wrote that no other action "is being taken on anyone in connection with the case."
Salata said that the Navy intends to make the probe's findings public once criminal investigators close their case.
Lovelace was only in the first week of a student's six-month odyssey to become a SEAL. A notoriously difficult course, only about a quarter of the candidates make it through without dropping out.
In the wake of his drowning, Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command paused the program to review and reinforce protocols for pre-training briefs, emergency action, and all in-water instruction procedures, Navy officials told the Union-Tribune.
The Navy added instruction on the signs and symptoms of water training injures and lifesaving procedures.
Today, two additional safety observers are in the water with the class, plus two safety swimmers at the water's edge to remove struggling students quickly. The instructor-student ratio now is one to seven; it was one to 10.
In 2016, 75 students could be in the water at one time. Now, no more than 49 can enter the pool.
He was at least the fifth SEAL student to die during training over the past three decades.
In 1988, John Joseph Tomlinson, 22, from Altoona, Pa., died of hypothermia near the end of a 5 1/2 -mile ocean swim off Coronado in the 17th week of the 25-week course.
Ten years later, Gordon Racine Jr., 25, of Houston died during a pool exercise in his first month of training.
In 2001, Lt. John Anthony Skop Jr., 29, of Buffalo, N.Y., died during a "Hell Week" swim.
Three years later, Boatswain Mate 1st Class Rob Vetter, 30, died at a Coronado hospital days after he collapsed during a conditioning run in the second week of the program.
