An entry gate at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. (U.S. Air Force)

The commander of a security squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming has been relieved from duty, the Air Force said late Friday.

The action follows official inquiries into gunshot deaths at the base that briefly led to the Air Force halting use of the Sig Sauer M18 pistol.

Lt. Col. Tyler Hiatt, commander of the 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron, was removed from his position by Col. Terrance Holmes, 90th Missile Wing commander, according to a statement released by F. E. Warren public affairs.

“Hiatt’s removal follows a professional disagreement over actions in the unit and was a result of his request to Holmes, in which Hiatt stated his inability to execute the duties of his position, further offering that he does not feel comfortable serving in the 90th Security Forces Group,” the Air Force said in a statement.

Lt. Col. David Lycan, 90th Security Forces Group deputy commander, will command the squadron in the interim, the base statement said. The squadron provides security for the base, which is a key operations center for nuclear-armed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.

Airman 1st Class Marcus White-Allen, 21, a security officer with the squadron from Fort Wayne, Ind., was found dead Oct. 8 on base. No additional details were released.

The Air Force said on Oct. 25 that White-Allen had been under investigation for the July 25 fatal shooting of Airman Brayden Lovan, 21, of Greenville, Ky., also a member of the squadron.

The Air Force reported Oct. 31 that Airman 1st Class Sarbjot Badesha and A1C Matthew Rodriguez each pleaded guilty in courts-martial to making false official statements related to Lovan’s death, “which resulted from a gunshot wound caused by A1C Marcus White-Allen’s duty-issued M18 handgun.”

“During their guilty pleas, both Airmen said they saw White-Allen pull his duty weapon from his holster and point it at Lovan’s chest in a joking manner,” the Air Force reported. “Each stated they then heard the firearm go off and saw Lovan fallen on the ground. According to their pleas, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, White-Allen told Badesha, ‘Here’s the story. Tell them that I slammed my duty belt on the desk, and it went off.’”

“The false statements from both Airmen hindered law enforcement efforts,” the Air Force said.

The Air Force initially investigated whether the Sig Sauer M18, a standard Air Force sidearm, had discharged without the gun user pulling the trigger. Air Force Global Strike Command ordered a pause on the use of the pistol.

The “service-wide supplemental inspection” of about 125,000 M18s used by the Air Force was ordered to “validate the serviceability of weapons and reinforce confidence in their use,” an Air Force spokesperson said in August.

The Air Force said Oct. 31 that evidence determined White-Allen had his finger on the trigger as he placed the firearm on Lovan’s chest and laboratory tests determined there were no defects in White-Allen’s duty-issued weapon.

Badesha was sentenced to 30 days in confinement, reduction to E-1 and forfeiture of $1,545, and Rodriguez was sentenced to 10 days confinement, 15 days restriction to base, reduction to E-2 and forfeiture of $500.

Col. Jeremy Sheppard, commander of the 90th Security Forces Group, issued a statement earlier in October regarding the deaths.

“If your intentions are pure, I will ALWAYS have your back,” Sheppard wrote.

Sheppard told the group that while most members were “doing the right thing every day,” those who were not should consider “then this might not be the right place for you.”

Sheppard called on the security group to return to its role of safeguarding the base. “We did talk about the recent fatalities, but the larger message was a call to action: to block out the noise, refocus and recalibrate on what matters most,” he said.

The deaths of Lovan and White-Allen were the third and fourth recent incidents involving gunshots and an airman from F.E. Warren.

An airman was found dead Sept. 30, and authorities linked the death to the fatal shooting of a female victim in Fort Collins, Colo., that was classified by local law enforcement as a murder-suicide.

Airman Jadan Orr was charged with involuntary manslaughter for the Aug. 16 shooting death of Senior Airman Joshua Aragon, 23, when he fired an AK-47-style rifle through the wall of his off-base apartment, hitting Aragon. Orr has pleaded not guilty to the charge and is awaiting trial.