A Schofield Barracks soldier has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the January shooting death of a fellow Hawai'i soldier in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said yesterday.

The death of Pfc. Sean P. McCune was the result of a "negligent discharge" of Sgt. Miguel A. Vegaquinones' weapon, the military said.

Vegaquinones also was charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with making a false official statement about the incident.

The accusation sheds light on a spate of three non-combat-related deaths experienced by the 3,500-soldier 3rd Brigade since it deployed in October and November. Three other deaths were in combat.

Seven out of 10 deaths in a combat zone this year involving Hawai'i-based troops have been as a result of non-combat causes, which largely go unexplained.

McCune, 20, of Euless, Texas, died after allegedly being shot by Vegaquinones following the completion of their guard shift duty in Samarra on Jan. 11, according to a Multi-National Corps-Iraq news release.

"The apparent cause of death was a negligent discharge from Vegaquinones' weapon," the military said. Vegaquinones, 33, is from Havelock, N.C., the Associated Press said.

The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram said McCune's father, Larry, initially was told his son died accidentally when a round went off as he was cleaning his rifle.

Larry McCune, who spent 16 years in the military, said his "blood boiled" when he found out about the accusation against the noncommissioned officer.

"There is absolutely no excuse for what this individual did," Larry McCune told the newspaper. "For a supposedly seasoned professional in the Army, an NCO responsible for leading and being an example for those under him, I find it inexcusable."

Vegaquinones and McCune were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

Involuntary manslaughter reflects "culpable negligence" and carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, while a false official statement can bring a sentence of up to five years, the military statement said.

The military said Vegaquinones has been temporarily attached to the brigade's headquarters at Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit pending the outcome of the proceedings. An investigation is ongoing, the military said.

There have been seven noncombat deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait this year involving Hawai'i-based troops. Only two have been explained by the military — one with the charges against Vegaquinones.

In the other case, Spc. Cwislyn K. Walter, 19, a Hawai'i Army National Guard soldier and Farrington High School graduate, died on Feb. 19 when the SUV she was a passenger in was involved in an accident in Kuwait.

Noncombat deaths can be the result of natural causes, vehicle or other accidents, friendly fire, homicide or suicide. The Army and Marines in recent months have raised alarm over a spike in suicides, both overseas and at home.

The most recent Hawai'i-related death in Iraq was that of Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Moore Jr., 43, who was the senior enlisted man in his battalion, the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry "Wolfhounds."

Moore, a 26-year Army veteran, died Friday at COB Speicher of unspecified non-combat-related injuries, the Army said.

In another noncombat death in Iraq, Hawai'i Marine Lance Cpl. Ray A. Spencer II, 20, was shot in the chest and killed April 16, his widow said.

Athena Spencer said Marines told her that her husband did not commit suicide, and that the circumstances were being investigated.

"They said, 'Don't make any speculations that it was or wasn't another Marine.' They said it was nonhostile. It wasn't an enemy, but they said that could change," Athena Spencer said.