US police have arrested a soldier they say was shot by his cousin so he would not have to return to Iraq.
Army Specialist Marquise J. Roberts, of Hinesville, Georgia., suffered a minor wound on Tuesday to his left leg from a .22-caliber pistol, police said.
He was treated at a hospital, then arrested after he and his cousin allegedly admitted making up a story about the shooting.
After giving differing accounts of the incident, "they just broke down and confessed that they concocted the whole story so he didn't have to go back to the war," Philadelphia police said.
Police charged Mr Roberts with filing a false report and charged his cousin, Mr Ronald Fuller, with aggravated assault and other charges.
Mr Roberts, who was visiting family in Philadelphia, initially claimed he was shot during an attempted robbery, but Mr Fuller had said the incident occurred at another location during an argument, according to police.
Mr Roberts (23) was on a two-week leave from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which led the assault on Baghdad in 2003. He is scheduled to return to Iraq within the next few months. The division has been home since the summer of 2003.
Police said Mr Roberts, a supply specialist who had spent seven months in Iraq, was distraught about having to return to combat duty and wanted to stay with his family.
AP