A Marine killed two of his military colleagues before shooting himself at a base in Quantico, Va., on Thursday night. The New York Times reports on Friday, March 22 that the unidentified suspect was found dead inside his living quarters on the base, apparently the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The victims were said to be active-duty Marines, a man and a woman.
Sergeant Christopher Zahn, a spokesperson for the base, reports that the facility was locked down on Thursday when the shooting was reported around 10:30 p.m..
Normal operations on the base were resumed by 2:30 a.m. today. The dead suspect and his female victim were found inside a room at the Taylor Hall barracks, Sgt. Zahn said.
The other male Marine victim was discovered earlier at a different location in the same hall. Names have yet to be released, but all three were apparently staff members at the base’s officer candidate school.
The military base is located approximately 35 miles outside Washington D.C., and is a major center for the education and training of the Marine Corps..
Zahn issued a statement that read, “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.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time. This is a tragic loss for our Marine Corps family”, he said.
Col. David W. Maxwell added, “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.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time. This is a tragic loss for our Marine Corps family.”
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