Soldiers Cleared in Sgrena Shooting … or Not

From MSNBC (hat tip to the Jawa Report):

Report Clears U.S. in Friendly Fire Incident

The friendly fire shooting at a U.S. military checkpoint last month in Baghdad wounded Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena and killed intelligence agent Nicola Calipari.

Now, NBC News has learned that a preliminary report from a joint U.S.-Italian investigation has cleared the American soldiers of any wrongdoing and provides new details into the shooting.

[…]

It was dark when the Italians turned onto a ramp leading to the airport road where the U.S. military had set up a temporary checkpoint.

The investigation found the car was about 130 yards from the checkpoint when the soldiers flashed their lights as a warning to stop. But the car kept coming and, at 90 yards, warning shots were fired. At 65 yards, when the car failed to stop, the soldiers used lethal force — a machine gun burst that killed Calipari and wounded Sgrena and the driver.

Senior U.S. military officials say it took only about four seconds from the first warning to the fatal shots, but insist the soldiers acted properly under the current rules of engagement.

The investigation failed, however, to resolve one critical dispute: The Americans claim the car was racing toward the checkpoint at about 50 miles per hour, the Italians say it was traveling at a much slower speed.

Wait, the Associated Press says not yet:

Italy, U.S. Disagree Over Agent Shooting

Reluctance by Italian investigators to accept the U.S. version of the killing of an Italian security agent by American troops in Iraq last month is holding up the conclusion of a joint inquiry into the shooting, Italian newspapers said Thursday.

Also Thursday, the U.S. State Department said the investigation was ongoing and denied an NBC report that the U.S.-Italian commission had completed a preliminary report clearing the Americans of any wrongdoing in the killing.

[…]

“Anyone asserting that conclusions have been reached, or anyone claiming that conclusions have been reached, and they know what they are, must be misinformed,” State Department press officer Thomas Casey said.

Casey noted that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had said on Wednesday after a meeting Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini that the most important thing was to do the investigation right, not to do it fast.

An Italian Foreign Ministry official said the commission was continuing its work. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to comment on the reports of a clash among the investigators.

For once, she of the ever–changing story is quiet:

Sgrena: I Won’t Comment on Leaks

“We’ll keep doing whatever we can to find out what happened on March 4 near Baghdad’s airport” Giuliana Sgrena said speaking in the offices of the Province of Rome where she is taking part in a demonstration promoted by the Press Federation to call for the release of Florence Aubese, the correspondent of French newspaper ‘Liberation’ who was kidnapped in Iraq 100 days ago. Giuliana Sgrena chose not to comment the first leaks from the Italy-US Investigating Committee (“I’ll comment only on the conclusions of final official sources”).

Well, if her version that mentioned 300 to 400 rounds fired or her version where she scooped shells off the seat were true, this would’ve been a pretty cut-and-dried investigation.

Keep quiet, liar.