The family, a Turkmen Shiite household, was returning home from a hospital visit after Kamila Hassan had been ill.

They were traveling in a red Opel Vectra sedan when they unknowingly approached a dismounted U.S. Army patrol conducting a presence patrol in the Al-Sarai neighborhood around 5:50 PM, just before the 6 PM curfew.

A relentless burst of gunfire from multiple soldiers, including members of the 3rd Platoon, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, resulted in the deaths of the driver and front passenger.

The U.S. military later concluded the actions were "reasonable in intensity, duration, and magnitude" in a 15-6 inquiry.

The incident was documented by embedded photojournalist Chris Hondros, whose images captured the aftermath and the children's trauma.