This article was originally published on June 8, 2016 at 8:38 a.m. EST.
The Marine Corps has fired another leader at its East Coast recruit training depot this week — the second in connection to an investigation into a recruit's death during boot camp.
Sgt. Maj. Nicholas Deabreu, the top enlisted leader with Recruit Training Regiment at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, was fired Monday, said Capt. Gregory Carrol, a Parris Island spokesman.
Col. Paul Cucinotta, the training regiment's commanding officer, was also relieved Monday. The Marine Corps issued a press release about that relief. It's not immediately clear why Deabreu's dismissal was not included in the releasereferenced.
Both were dismissed by Maj. Gen. James Lukeman, the head of Training and Education Command after an investigation into the March 18 death of Raheel Siddiqui found instances in which proper policies and procedures were not being followed, Carrol said.
Siddiqui, 20, fell 40 feet to his death 11 days after starting boot camp. The incident prompted two investigations — one at the command level and another by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
The Siddiqui family's congresswoman, Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, has pressed the Marine Corps for more details on the recruit's death. She is concerned that hazing was a factor.
Brig. Gen. David Furness, the commandant’s legislative assistant, wrote to her Monday, stressing that the "any indication of hazing will be carefully investigated."
A day before Siddiqui's death, Cucinotta relieved Lt. Col. Joshua Kissoon, commanding officer of Parris Island's 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, for alleged misconduct. While Dingell asked for confirmation that it was not tied to Siddiqui's time at boot camp, Furness wrote in his letter that the two matters were unrelated.
Nabih Ayad, a lawyer representing Siddiqui's family, told the Detroit Free Press that the recruit fainted just before his death, and that a trainer revived him by smacking him. When Siddiqui woke up, he ran and jumped over a ladderwell wall to fall three stories to his death. His family does not believe it was intentional.
The command and NCIS investigations are still ongoing.
Deabreu became the Recruit Training Regiment's sergeant major in April 2015. He previously served as the top enlisted leader with the Romania-based Black Sea Rotational Force and had completed a tour as a drill instructor at Parris Island earlier in his career.
