Fort Irwin specialist charged with murder of comrade

An Army specialist based at Fort Irwin, California, is charged with murder in the death of a fellow soldier.

The Army formally charged SPC on November 20. George Cornejo, 26, for the death of Spc. on October 28th. Andrew Patrick Smith, 27, according to the Army’s Office of Special Litigation Counsel.

According to local media reports, Smith’s cause of death remains under investigation. The day after Smith’s death, officers arrested Cornejo.

Both Cornejo and Smith were assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, also known as the Blackhorse Regiment. The regiment is permanently assigned to Fort Irwin, the Army’s largest combat training center in the lower 48 states.

“Spc. “Smith was loved by many and highly respected on the team,” Col. Kevin Black, commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, said in a social media post. “As we mourn the loss of our teammate, our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and comrades.”

Cornejo, a California native from Fontana, had worked as a construction equipment repairer. Smith, of Rye, New York, was in the utility repair business.

On October 28, military police raided Smith’s location on base and discovered that Smith was seriously injured. Officers transported him to Weed Army Community Hospital at Fort Irwin, where he was pronounced dead.

Cornejo is being held in custody at the Naval Consolidated Brig in Miramar, California, the Southern California Newspaper Group reported.

Smith enlisted in the Army in August 2021 and was assigned to Fort Irwin in March 2022.

The investigation remains open.

Officials from the Army Criminal Investigation Department declined further comment. A spokesman for the Army’s office of special litigation counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.