Andover Marine admits he shot himself

[thedrifter]

Andover Marine admits he shot himself

A Marine who told Anoka County authorities that he was shot while trying to help a stranded motorist has admitted that he shot himself, a sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday.

Adam D. Welter, 20, of Andover was released Monday night from Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, where he was treated for a wound to his left shoulder.

Welter reported that he was shot early Monday after he stopped in the 14800 block of Prairie Rd. to help a man whose black, rusted pickup truck was disabled. Investigators searched and found no evidence of a shooting.

Welter, an Anoka High School graduate, was home on leave and had been scheduled to return to active duty on Monday.

He called the Sheriff's Office on Tuesday afternoon and admitted making up the shooting story, said sheriff's Capt. Bob Aldrich. "I think he felt bad and wanted to tell the truth," Aldrich said. "He was trying to do the right thing. . . . He was awfully apologetic."

Welter was apparently despondent about an impending long-term overseas military assignment, according to investigators. Welter had been in training for about a year to intercept and decode radio messages, and he was to be stationed in Hawaii, said Valerie Welter, his mother. Attempts to contact Welter on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

The case will be forwarded to the county attorney's office where possible charges for giving false information to deputies will be considered, Aldrich said. He would not say where Welter got the gun he used but said it will be returned to its owner.

Jim Adams

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4052308.html


Sempers,

Roger


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