(MCT) — After a hearing in which military lawyers debated how far soldiers can be held accountable for split-second decisions in the heat of combat, a decision on whether to court martial a U.S. Army soldier accused of shooting an unarmed physician in southern Afghanistan has been postponed until July 31.

The case of Sgt. 1st Class Walter Taylor, heard before a military court in Germany last month, now rests with Lt. Col. Alva Hart, investigating officer with the 16th Sustainment Brigade. Hart will determine whether there are reasonable grounds to hold the 31-year-old veteran of four combat deployments for trial on charges of negligent homicide in the shooting of the civilian doctor. The shooting occurred at the end of a tense firefight; the doctor’s car had raced into the middle of that gunfight, adding to the confusion.