Originally published on April 9, 2014
A Marine at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina fatally shot another guard with a M4 service rifle at the Marine Corps base on Tuesday (April 8).
Other marines were present at the Camp Lejeune's main gate when the shooting took place at 5:30 p.m., but it is not known whether they were involved when one marine shot another within the guard shack.
The victim, who had sustained a shot to the chest, was rushed to Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune but was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. Other Marines on base were notified of the shooting via Facebook, but the Camp Lejeune was not placed on lockdown since the shooter had been already been disarmed and taken into custody.
According to a Marine stationed at the base, a Marine would be carrying a loaded weapon only under very specific circumstances. Marines are also trained to adhere to strict safety rules, including assuming that every weapon they handle is loaded, and not pointing a weapon at persons or objects they don't intend to shoot. Camp Lejeune released no further information about the status of the shooter.
The shooting comes less than a week after a shooting at Fort Hood U.S. Army base, in which an officer opened fire over a paperwork dispute, killing four people, including himself, and injuring 16 others.
