Airman Charged in Base Shooting
PHOTO CAPTION: The entrance to Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, where an airman was fatally shot inside a dormitory on November 1, 2026. A fellow airman has been charged with negligent homicide in connection with the incident. (U.S. Air Force file photo.)
A 25-year-old U.S. Air Force airman has been charged with negligent homicide after allegedly shooting and killing a fellow service member inside a dormitory at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
According to court documents, Airman 1st Class Giovanni Salvatore Molinaro told emergency dispatchers that he had been playing with a handgun and believed it was unloaded when it discharged.
The shooting occurred Sunday, November 1, inside a third-floor dormitory room at the base, which is home to the Air Force's 341st Missile Wing.
The victim, also an airman stationed at Malmstrom, was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity had not been publicly released as of November 3.
Airman Calls 911 After Shooting
According to charging documents reported by local news outlet The Electric, Molinaro called emergency dispatchers and said he had accidentally shot another person who was no longer breathing.
During the call, he reportedly told dispatchers he had been playing with the gun and thought it was unloaded.
Court records describe Molinaro repeatedly expressing distress about what had happened.
When security forces arrived, they found him kneeling inside the room and apparently speaking with emergency dispatchers.
He reportedly acknowledged shooting the other airman and repeatedly apologized.
Responding personnel found the victim lying on a bed and checked for signs of life.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators Recover a Glock Pistol
Investigators identified the firearm as a Glock 43 9mm pistol equipped with an optic.
According to the court documents, the weapon was found beside the bed with its slide locked back and magazine removed.
A live round was located near the firearm, and a spent shell casing was recovered from the floor.
The Glock 43 is different from the Sig Sauer M18 pistol commonly issued to Air Force personnel.
However, investigators have not publicly established whether the firearm was privately owned, properly registered, or authorized to be possessed on the installation.
Molinaro was assigned to the 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron.
He was booked into the Cascade County Adult Detention Center early Monday morning and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Air Force Rules Prohibit Personal Guns in Dorms
The shooting has raised questions about firearm storage and safety requirements on military installations.
According to Malmstrom Air Force Base policy, privately owned firearms must be registered with the installation.
Personnel living in dormitories, temporary housing, or military lodging are not permitted to store personal firearms in their rooms.
Instead, those weapons must be kept at the 341st Security Forces Group Armory.
Base officials confirmed to Stars and Stripes that those restrictions remain in effect.
The circumstances surrounding the Glock recovered from Sunday's shooting remain under investigation, including whether it was properly authorized and how it came to be inside the dormitory.
Pentagon Recently Changed Installation Gun Policies
The shooting also comes months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an April memorandum directing military commanders to ease restrictions on service members carrying privately owned firearms for personal protection on military installations.
The memorandum instructed commanders to evaluate requests with a presumption of approval rather than automatically rejecting them.
However, that broader policy change does not automatically authorize service members to store privately owned firearms in dormitory rooms.
Malmstrom officials have confirmed that the base's existing dormitory storage restrictions remain in place.
There is currently no evidence establishing that the April memorandum contributed to Sunday's shooting or that Molinaro had received authorization to carry the firearm.
Airman Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison
Molinaro appeared in district court by video from the detention center on November 2.
He requested a public defender.
District Judge John Parker declined to consider reducing his bond at the initial hearing, citing the seriousness of the charge.
If convicted of negligent homicide under Montana law, Molinaro could face up to 20 years in state prison, a fine of up to $50,000, or both.
The charge remains an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The Cascade County Sheriff's Office and military authorities are continuing to investigate.
For the Air Force community at Malmstrom, the incident has left one service member dead and another facing a serious felony charge.
The case also underscores a fundamental firearms safety rule taught throughout the military: every weapon must be treated as loaded until it has been properly cleared and verified.
Investigators have not yet established the full circumstances that led to the fatal discharge.
(Source: OAF Nation)
