Army Discharged Charlottesville Suspect James A. Fields After Basic Training

The white supremacist charged with killing a protester in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday didn’t make it past basic training in the U.S. Army, a spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Sunday. James A. Fields reported for basic training in August 2015. “He was, however, released from active duty due to a failure to meet training standards in December of 2015,” Army Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson said. “As a result he was never awarded a military occupational skill nor was he assigned to a unit outside of basic training.”