Parents seek accountability after plea in Krystofer Lopez’s fatal training shooting
By Tasmin Mahfuz, Sarah Metts
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CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (WGAL) — A Carlisle man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the training death of an 18-year-old soldier at Letterkenny Army Depot earlier this year.
Parents find some relief after plea Information shows that Sean Stark, 38, killed Private First Class Krystofer Lopez while conducting firearms training in a “grossly negligent manner,” according to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller.
Lopez’s parents, Carmen and Hector, said they feel some relief after a person charged in connection with his death entered a plea.
“It is some relief,” Carmen Lopez said. “But to get where we got, I had to raise the king.”
“I was praying to God and my son, ‘At least let this person own up.’ Our prayers came true.”
Parents recount alleged training room shooting According to the parents’ account of a conversation with the attorney general’s office, the instructor went outside for a cigarette break and inserted a loaded magazine into a firearm. Upon returning, the instructor was supposed to remove the magazine and carry the unloaded firearm inside but allegedly failed to do so.
“He did not do that. He went straight through,” Carmen said. “When he was doing his training, he pointed the gun at our son and shot him.”
Carmen and Hector Lopez said video of the incident showed the instructor pointing a firearm at their son and telling Krystofer Lopez to point one at him as part of the exercise.
“They saw this in the video, and it was the wrong protocol,” the parents said.
When asked what Carmen wanted Stark to hear, she responded, “You murdered our son.”
Letterkenny Army Depot Responds To Charges
In a statement sent to News 8 on Tuesday morning, Chief of Public Affairs Todd Wivell confirmed Stark was actually the LEAD Directorate of Emergency Services at Letterkenny Army Depot.
Wivell said he was eventually suspended indefinitely from his role.
“The death of Specialist Krystofer Lopez during a training exercise on March 12, 2026, was a devastating tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers remain steadfast with his family and unit,” said Wivell. “Letterkenny Army Depot has cooperated fully with federal authorities throughout this investigation. Because criminal proceedings are ongoing, we cannot comment further on the specifics of the legal charges or the case. We refer all inquiries regarding the prosecution to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.”
Family’s fight for accountability continues The couple said they hope the case encourages other families who have lost loved ones during military or similar training exercises to seek answers and accountability.
“I hope nobody else will be scared and just let it get swept under the carpet,” Carmen said. “I hope other families will gather together to fight.”
The parents said they continued pursuing the case because Lopez was their son.
“We did it ourselves because that was our child,” Carmen and Hector Lopez said. “We didn’t have other family members who lost a child through the Army or the military. We did it ourselves because it was our child. And that is what a lot of parents need to do. It’s their child.”
Although the plea provides a measure of closure, the couple said their fight is not over.
“It’s only a quarter of it,” Carmen said. “There’s still more to fight.”
The family is accepting impact statements, which are written declarations that detail the physical and emotional effects Krystofer’s death has had on family and friends. The statements will be presented to the judge at Stark’s guilty plea hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
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