Afghan shooting soldier had just seen friend's leg blown off, says lawyer John Henry Browne, lawyer for the US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghans, said his client had war wounds and did not want to go to the country after multiple tours of duty. Photograph: Anthony Bolante/Reuters The US soldier accused of shooting dead 16 Afghan villagers saw his friend's leg blown off the day before and is himself a decorated survivor of war wounds from mutliple tours of duty, his lawyer has said. Seattle attorney John Henry Browne said that according to his client's family the soldier had been standing next to his friend when the blast happened. Browne said all of the soldiers at the remote camp where his client was assigned were upset by the injury. It was not clear whether that might have prompted the killings last Sunday of the civilians, who included women and children. The soldier, a 38-year-old father of two originally from the American midwest, deployed in December 2011 with the 3rd Stryker Brigade, and on 1 February was attached to a "village stability operation." Browne described him as highly decorated and said he had once been nominated for a Bronze Star, though he did not receive it. The soldier had been injured twice during his three previous deployments to Iraq and was loath to go to Afghanistan to begin with, Browne said. In Iraq he had suffered a concussive head injury in a car accident caused by a roadside bomb, and sustained a battle-related injury that resulted in surgery to remove part of his foot. He was screened by health officials after the head injury before he redeployed, Browne said. He did not know if his client had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder but said it could be an issue at trial if experts believed it was relevant. The soldier and his family had thought his fighting days were over - he and the rest of his brigade had initially been told they wouldn't have to go to Afghanistan, Browne said. We have been informed that at this small base that he was at, somebody was gravely injured the day before the alleged incident - gravely injured, and that affected all of the soldiers. Browne and his co-counsel, Emma Scanlan, said they had met with the soldier's wife and other family members, and Browne said he spoke briefly by phone with the soldier, whom he described as stunned and distant. "[The family] were totally shocked," he said. He's never said anything antagonistic about Muslims. He's in general very mild-mannered. Browne said he knew little of the facts of the shooting but disputed reports that a combination of alcohol, stress and domestic issues caused him to snap. He said the family were unaware of any drinking problem and described the couple's marriage as "fabulous." The soldier is suspected of going on a shooting rampage in villages near his base in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing nine children and seven other civilians and then burning some of their bodies. The shooting outraged Afghans, coming soon after the burning of Qurans by US forces. Browne declined to release his client's name, citing concerns for his family, who are under protection on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma. But he said the soldier has two young children, aged three and four. The suspect was flown out of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening to what was described as a pre-trial confinement facility in Kuwait. Officials have described him as a soldier of 11 years' service. He asked to be represented by Browne when he was taken into custody, the lawyer said. Browne said had spoken with the soldier but did not discuss the substance of the allegations. There were no prior events in his army dossier indicating misbehavior. Browne once defended the serial killer Ted Bundy and recently represented Colton Harris-Moore, a youthful thief known as the Barefoot Bandit. Browne said he had only handled three or four military cases before. The soldier will also have at least one military lawyer, according to army authorities, and senior commanders will decide whether the matter goes to a trial.