A 25-year-old Army officer was shot and killed during a live-fire training exercise.
Philip ‘Gilbert’ Muldowney, a Royal Artillery officer, died during live firing tactical training at Otterburn Training Area on Sunday.
The captain was reportedly shot in the back during the exercise with Scots Guards at around 8pm.
He was given CPR at the scene but died before paramedics arrived at the Otterburn range in Northumberland, The Sun reported.
An investigation into Capt Muldowney’s cause of death has been launched, officials confirmed today.
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The Army said the soldier and his team had been performing ‘exemplary’ throughout the hours-long session.
They were wearing night-vision goggles and gunning wooden pop-up targets with SA80 assault rifles.
Capt Muldowney was injured only minutes into the live-firing drill when a group of soldiers charged forward as another squad covered, an insider claimed.
‘We were at the rear when he was shot at a fair distance,’ they added.
‘Always full of ideas and never without a bright smile’
Capt Muldowney joined the Army in 2020, training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before joining the Royal Artillery.
He was briefly deployed to Estonia for Operation Cabrit, which helped defend Nato’s eastern flank, for six months in 2021.
He was serving as a Fire Support Team Commander at the time of the fatal incident.
The Army said: ‘He thrived in this role, confidently advising infantry commanders senior to him on the employment of artillery, mortars, rockets, and air-delivered munitions, responsibilities he carried out with notable skill.’
Military personnel who served with him described him as a ‘truly kind person’ with the ‘rare gift for lifting spirits’.
Commanding Officer of the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery, Lt Col Henry Waller, said Capt Muldowney was ‘an immensely enthusiastic officer who embraced life with a vigour that inspired everyone around him’.
‘Always full of ideas and never without a bright smile, Gilbert approached every challenge wholeheartedly, whether in camp or out in the field.
‘His versatility was remarkable, and he threw himself into a wide range of activities with energy and commitment.’
Major Martin Simms, of the Royal Artillery, added that Capt Muldowney was ‘unfailingly dependable’.
‘An absolute credit to his family and his friends, to whom we offer our deepest heartfelt condolences at this tragic time.’
Capt Duncan Morrison said his comrade ‘lived life to the fullest’, something that didn’t take him long to realise when they first met in 2021.
The pair, however, went their separate paths when Capt Muldowney was sent to Europe, only to be reunited years later.
‘I still remember the call from Gilbert telling me he would be joining me and finally presenting the perfect opportunity to be back together with my friend, added Capt Morrison.
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