The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

National News

Discussion

March 22, 2013

Three dead, including suspect, in Marine base shooting

From The Associated Press

QUANTICO, Va. — A Marine killed a male and female colleague in a shooting at a base in northern Virginia before killing himself, officials said early Friday.

Authorities were called to the scene at Marine Corps Base Quantico around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, where they found one Marine dead at a barracks, base commander Col. David W. Maxwell told reporters.

Authorities later found a second victim dead, along with the body of the suspected gunman, who died of self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A base spokesman initially described the situation as a standoff. Maxwell said later in the morning that there was no standoff. Base spokesman Lt. Agustin Solivan later clarified that after the first shooting, police had the shooter “isolated” in a barracks dorm room at the base’s Officer Candidates School.

No names were immediately released but officials said all three were staff members at the school.

Solivan said the shooting was isolated to the school and authorities were confident there were no other casualties. The base was put on lockdown after the shooting but the lockdown was lifted early Friday. During the lockdown, residents were warned over a loudspeaker to stay inside.

The shooting is the second tragedy the Marine Corps has faced this week. Seven members of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force were killed Monday when a mortar shell exploded in its firing tube during an exercise at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada. Eight others were injured.

In a statement, Pentagon press secretary George Little said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was saddened to learn of the shooting.

“This tragedy, as well as the tragedy in Nevada earlier this week, took the lives of Marines who volunteered to serve their nation,” Little said. “His heart and his prayers are with them and their families.”

The Quantico base, which is about 37 miles south of Washington, is also home to the FBI’s training academy. Its Officer Candidates School is the equivalent of basic training for Marines interested in becoming officers.

According to a Marine Corps website, the mission of Officer Candidates School is to train, screen and evaluate candidates. The training includes both academics and physical training such as endurance hikes and obstacles courses. Candidates are evaluated on leadership potential as well as moral, physical and academic strengths. Candidates must also demonstrate a grasp of battlefield-tested leadership traits, the website says.

Marines become second lieutenants on graduation from the school’s 10-week program.

In 2010, the Quantico base was one of several targets of an ex-Marine reservist who, during five nighttime shootings, fired on military targets including the Pentagon. Yonathan Melaku, on two separate occasions, fired at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico. No one was injured and Melaku was ultimately sentenced to 25 years in prison.

 

Text Only
National News
  • Hoffa Search 2.jpg Reputed Mafioso tip triggers new Hoffa body search

    The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.

    June 18, 2013 3 Photos

  • Utah man shot in church upgraded to fair condition

    It was a quiet part of the Father’s Day Mass as about 300 people stood up in preparation for communion.

    June 18, 2013

  • Chrysler expected to formally refuse Jeep recall

    In one of the biggest-ever showdowns between an automaker and the government, Chrysler on Tuesday is expected to file papers explaining its refusal to recall 2.7 million older Jeep SUVs that are at risk of catching fire in rear-end collisions.

    June 18, 2013

  • House committee takes up tough immigration bill

    A key committee in the Republican-led House moved Tuesday toward approving a tough enforcement-focused immigration bill, over objections from Democrats and disruptions from protesters shouting “Shame, shame, shame!”

    June 18, 2013

  • Hitchhiking cat ’Mata Hairi’ headed home to Oregon

    A well-traveled cat named “Mata Hairi” will soon be reunited with her owner after spending nearly 10 months traveling thousands of miles with a hitchhiker who rescued her from the rain.

    June 17, 2013

  • For young immigrants, a delayed coming of age

    As a child, Jorge Tume used to sit and do homework as his parents cleaned the desks and floors of a concrete company in Miami. When he was done, he’d take out the trash and help finish cleaning.

    June 17, 2013

  • Supreme Court.jpg Court: Arizona citizenship proof law illegal

    The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states cannot on their own require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier.

    June 17, 2013 1 Photo

  • Fracking fuels water fights in nation’s dry spots

    The latest domestic energy boom is sweeping through some of the nation’s driest pockets, drawing millions of gallons of water to unlock oil and gas reserves from beneath the Earth’s surface.

    June 17, 2013

  • Colorado Wildifres.jpg Ten more homes destroyed in Colorado wildfire

    Firefighters were finally gaining some ground Friday on a wildfire in which two people were killed as they tried to escape and 389 homes were destroyed.

    June 14, 2013 1 Photo

  • House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill

    The House overwhelmingly passed a sweeping, $638 billion defense bill on Friday that imposes new punishments on members of the armed services found guilty of rape or sexual assault as outrage over the crisis in the military has galvanized Congress.

    June 14, 2013