Army officer gets 20 years' jail for murder after he ordered troops to open fire on Afghan men approaching their checkpoint - but his lawyers say he was protecting platoon

First Lieutenant Clint Lorance was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder on Thursday

Prosecut ors said Lorance recklessly ordered his men to open fire on three men on a motorcycle approaching his patrol in July 2012, killing two

His mom, Anna Lorance, says he was only doing what he had to to ensure the safety of his troops

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, forfeiture of all pay and dismissal from the U.S. Army

An Oklahoma Army lieutenant has been found guilty of two counts of murder in connection with a series of shootings in Afghanistan.

A jury at Fort Bragg delivered the verdict against Clint Lorance, an 82nd Airborne Division lieutenant, on Thursday evening and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, forfeiture of all pay and dismissal from the U.S. Army. Lorance, 28, was found not guilty of making a false official statement.

Prosecutors said Lorance recklessly ordered his men to open fire immediately, after three men on a motorcycle approached his patrol in southern Afghanistan in July 2012. They said this was in violation of the military's rules of engagement, which requires soldiers to hold fire unless they have evidence of hostile action or hostile intent.



Two of the men were killed and the third ran away.

Devastated: Anna Lorance, right, claims her son, First Lieutenant Clint Lorance, left, has been unfairly victimized by the military

Attorneys for Lorance said he was trying to protect his unit, and the soldier's supporters have attacked the military for turning a war hero deployed in a volatile and remote corner of Afghanistan into a defendant.

'To put murder charges on him!' Lorance's mother, Anna Lorance, protested in an interview with The Washington Post before the verdict. 'In war, people die. When you're in a heated combat zone, you have seconds to think.'

Lorance is only the second Army officer charged with murder in a battlefield death in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.



His devastated mother had campaigned since the charges were filed that her son was innocent and even created a website to build support for their case.



Soldier: First Lieutenant Clint Lorance has been removed from his position and was on Thursday found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder

Anna Lorance claims her son has been unfairly victimized by the military for allegedly ordering troops under his command to illegally shoot the two Afghan villagers. He was immediately removed from his position following the deaths.

'My son does not deserve this,' the mom told ABC11 in May. 'He did the only thing he felt he could do, thinking of his troops and himself, to bring them back home alive.'



The incident happened last July when Lorance, a platoon leader, gave the order for his soldiers to shoot the men as they approached a checkpoint on motorcycles in a remote sector of Kandahar Province.



Even though the platoon was in a combat zone, military prosecutors say the men showed, 'no indication of a hostile act, or hostile intent.'



Lorance claims he was only trying to protect his platoon.



Website: Clint Lorance's family set up a website to highlight his case

He told his mother he was on high alert, heading into enemy territory, and was getting radio warning from Army pilots patrolling the skies when it happened.



His family believe he has been unfairly treated and have launched a website to highlight his case.



More than 3,000 people from around the world have signed a petition to drop the charges.

'There's no way my son could do anything besides give 100 percent of himself to be an officer,' said Anna Lorance .



Lorance was also accused of making false official statements, ordering illegal harassing fire into a village, obstructing justice and making threats against villagers.



The two soldiers who fired the shots have been reprimanded but won't have to go through a full court martial.







