Report alleges Afghan contractor killed Indiana Marine

INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. Marine Corps' investigation of the February death of an Indiana Marine in Afghanistan concludes that he was fatally shot when an Afghan security contractor hired by an Afghan company allegedly fired shots at a group of Marines.

The Marine Corps' report says 24-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield, of Westville, was shot when the man opened fire after apparently spotting the Marines in a dry riverbed shortly after sunrise.

The report says the Afghan man has been turned over to Afghan prosecutors to support "future criminal proceedings" in Afghanistan's justice system.

It says Birchfield died in the line of duty during a combat foot patrol that stopped near a contractor security checkpoint about 80 minutes before the shooting.

The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service says its investigation is ongoing.