The congresswoman for the family of a Muslim recruit who died last year during boot camp is asking the medical examiner and coroner to rule that the recruit's death was not a suicide.
Raheel Siddiqui, 20, leapt to his death after being slapped by a drill instructor on March 18, 2016, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. He vaulted over the railing of a stairwell outside his third-floor squad bay and fell nearly 40 feet.
Siddiqui's death was ruled a suicide, though the investigation could not determine whether he was trying to kill himself or if he just wanted to get away from the drill instructor, who is now set to appear before a general court-martial from Aug. 7-25 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
On Tuesday, Rep. Debbie Dingell wrote the medical examiner and coroner who determined that Siddiqui killed himself, urging them on behalf of Siddiqui's family to change the cause of death to "undetermined" or "pending."
Dingell, D-Mich., cited an investigation, which found that abuse at the hands of his drill instructors and leadership failures contributed to his death.
"While we will never know what happened, I am convinced he did not intend to kill himself that day, which is the definition of suicide," Dingell wrote.
Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Felix, who allegedly slapped Siddiqui, is charged with cruelty and maltreatment, drunk and disorderly conduct, failure to obey a lawful general order and obstruction of justice. In a separate incident, Felix is also accused of ordering another Muslim recruit to sit in a commercial dryer and turning it on several times and insulting the recruit's religion.
"Since the suicide determination, the family has experienced grave emotional stress and irreparable damages, both personally and within the community at large," Dingell wrote.
