The wife of a soldier who watched her husband die during a video chat session saw a bullet hole in a closet behind him, his family said Sunday.
Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark, 43, had been stationed as a chief Army nurse in Afghanistan when he died during a Skype session with his wife in the U.S. on Monday.
"There was no sign that CPT Clark was in any discomfort, nor did he indicate any alarm," a statement from the family said. "Then CPT Clark was suddenly knocked forward. The closet behind him had a bullet hole in it. The other individuals, including a member of the military, who rushed to the home of CPT Clark’s wife also saw the hole and agreed it was a bullet hole."
The Skype connection remained open for two hours while Clark's family and friends both in the U.S. and in Afghanistan tried to get him help. They were "hoping for a rescue and a miracle, but later learned that it was not to be."
"After two hours and many frantic phone calls by Mrs. Clark, two military personnel arrived in the room and appeared to check his pulse, but provided no details about his condition to his wife," the statement said.
Susan Orellana-Clark said she was revealing the details of what she saw "to honor my husband and dispel the inaccurate information and supposition promulgated by other parties."
An Army spokesman had initially said Clark's death appeared to be from "natural causes" but later said he misspoke, CNN reported.
The Pentagon has since said Clark's death is under investigation.