A coroner has found that the U.S. Marine who shot ITN reporter Terry Lloyd in southern Iraq in 2003 did so unlawfully. Lloyd was an unembedded journalist.

An excerpt from the BBC story:

An inquest heard Mr Lloyd was killed by a US bullet near Basra. His interpreter died and his cameraman is missing.

It was told Mr Lloyd, 50 and originally from Derby, was hit while in a makeshift ambulance, having already been hurt by American-Iraqi crossfire.

The coroner is to ask the attorney general to consider pressing charges.

Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker said he would also be writing to the director of public prosecutions asking for him to investigate the possibility of bringing charges.

The Pentagon denied ever targeting non-combatants, including journalists. ...

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said Mr Lloyd's killing was a "war crime" and this was echoed by Mr Lloyd's widow, Lyn.

The ITN crew Terry Lloyd, reporter - killed Hussein Osman, interpreter - killed Fred Nerac, cameraman - missing, presumed killed Daniel Demoustier, cameraman - survived

In a statement she said: "This was a very serious war crime, how else can firing on a vehicle in these circumstances be interpreted?

"This was not a friendly fire incident or a crossfire incident, it was a despicable, deliberate, vengeful act, particularly as it came many minutes after the initial exchange.

"US forces appear to have allowed their soldiers to behave like trigger happy cowboys in an area where civilians were moving around."