A Marine killed two colleagues in a shooting at a base in Quantico, Va., on Thursday night before killing himself, officials said.
The suspect, who has not been identified, was found dead inside the living quarters at the base with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said on Friday. The victims were active-duty Marines, a man and a woman.
The shooting is under investigation, said Sgt. Christopher Zahn, a spokesman for the base. The base was locked down on Thursday when the shooting was reported around 10:30 p.m. and resumed normal operations by 2:30 a.m. on Friday.
The suspect and the female victim were found dead inside a room in the Taylor Hall barracks, Sergeant Zahn said. The male victim was found earlier at a different location in the same hall. No names were released, but all three Marines were staff members at the base’s officer candidate school.
At a news conference on Friday morning, Col. David W. Maxwell said it had been “a long night” as the base responded to the shooting.
“On behalf of Marine Corps Base Quantico and Officer Candidates School I want to express my sincere condolences to the families, friends and fellow Marines of the three Marines we lost last night,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time. This is a tragic loss for our Marine Corps family.”
The base, which is about 35 miles from Washington, is a prominent center for education and training for the Marine Corps.
Earlier this week, seven Marines were killed during a training exercise at a weapons depot in Nevada. Officials are investigating the cause of the accident after a mortar round unexpectedly exploded on Monday night during the training exercise.
The suspect, who has not been identified, was found dead inside the living quarters at the base with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said on Friday. The victims were active-duty Marines, a man and a woman.
The shooting is under investigation, said Sgt. Christopher Zahn, a spokesman for the base. The base was locked down on Thursday when the shooting was reported around 10:30 p.m. and resumed normal operations by 2:30 a.m. on Friday.
The suspect and the female victim were found dead inside a room in the Taylor Hall barracks, Sergeant Zahn said. The male victim was found earlier at a different location in the same hall. No names were released, but all three Marines were staff members at the base’s officer candidate school.
At a news conference on Friday morning, Col. David W. Maxwell said it had been “a long night” as the base responded to the shooting.
“On behalf of Marine Corps Base Quantico and Officer Candidates School I want to express my sincere condolences to the families, friends and fellow Marines of the three Marines we lost last night,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time. This is a tragic loss for our Marine Corps family.”
The base, which is about 35 miles from Washington, is a prominent center for education and training for the Marine Corps.
Earlier this week, seven Marines were killed during a training exercise at a weapons depot in Nevada. Officials are investigating the cause of the accident after a mortar round unexpectedly exploded on Monday night during the training exercise.