Claremore soldier killed by insurgents dressed as US troops

UPDATE: KRMG has confirmed new details with friends and family members of slain soldier Jon Townsend of Claremore.

They tell KRMG the young Claremore soldier has died in Afghanistan, apparently as the result of the shootings that killed four Americans Sunday.

Jon Townsend, 19, was a U. S. Army Infantryman.

His Facebook page says he graduated from Claremore-Sequoyah High School in 2011.

Paul Tucker, Townsend's brother-in-law, confirmed the family got the news Sunday evening.

"About 7:30 or so the people from the military came to my mother-in-law's residence and advised her about it and she called my phone and told me because she wanted me to tell my wife, Jennifer."

Jennifer Tucker is Townsend's sister.

Asked how the family is doing, Tucker hesitated a moment.

"For the most part okay, they're just all taking it rough, but it almost doesn't seem real."

KRMG also spoke with the Principal of Claremore-Sequoyah, Steve Johnson.

He described Townsend as a polite, "yes sir, no sir" kind of young man.

Once his mind was set on a plan, Townsend would go the distance to see it through, Johnson says.

"He was really committed to getting into the military and being a good soldier."

Johnson added that the news has spread rapidly through the school, but has been slow to sink in for the students.

"This is the type of thing that happens somewhere else, you know? You see it on the news and see it on TV all the time at different schools and usually it doesn't happen at your school. So when it happens at your school, it hits a little closer to home."

Court records indicate he obtained a license to marry Brittany Taylor Carden in February.

The photo of the couple posted on this story shows them wearing wedding rings.

Men dressed as Afghan police opened fire Sunday on American soldiers who had responded to an attack on a checkpoint.

That coincides with what Tucker says the military has told the family about Townsend's death.

"They just said that he was ambushed by some people that were 'insiders,' something to do with Afghan officers that are over there or something. We're not real sure of what exactly happened," Tucker told KRMG.

"My wife talked to him Thursday or Friday of last week," he added. "He said that he was scared because of some things that were going on over there but he couldn't discuss it over the phone."

More than 50 NATO coalition forces have died as the result of so-called "insider" attacks in Afghanistan in the last year.

KRMG is working on getting further details from the Department of Defense.