Pedro I Espaillat Jr

COLUMBIA, Tenn. — An airman from Tennessee who died in Iraq suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, a Defense Department spokeswoman said.

Senior Airman Pedro I. Espaillat Jr., 20, of Columbia, died Saturday in Kirkuk, Iraq, according to Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Stephens. An autopsy is being conducted to determine whether the shooting was suicide or accidental.

He died about a month before he was scheduled to return to the United States, said his father, Pedro Espaillat Sr.

Espaillat was assigned to the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Air Force officials said. He worked as an airplane...