Paratrooper killed in Bragg training accident

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — An 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper died Tuesday during training at Fort Bragg, officials said Thursday.

Spc. Nicholas Roberts, 27, of Longwood, Fla., was participating in airborne training at Sicily Drop Zone when he was killed, authorities said. The incident remains under investigation.

Roberts was an infantryman with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

“Spc. Roberts was a tremendous young man. He had only recently joined us, but he brought with him experience and leadership qualities we seek in our paratroopers,” Col. Curtis Buzzard, commander of the 3rd BCT, said in a statement. “We were all saddened to hear of this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Roberts joined the Army Reserve in 2010 as a military police officer and deployed to Afghanistan from March 2011 to January 2012. He transitioned to active duty in 2014 and reclassified as an infantryman.