Three Marines Dead after U.S. Base Shooting
A U.S. Marine shot and killed two colleagues before apparently turning the gun on himself at a military base in Virginia, the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday.
Officials said the shooting happened late Thursday at the Quantico Marine base not far from Washington DC.
The suspected shooter and the victims were Marines who worked at an officer candidate school at the base, said base spokesman Sergeant Christopher Zahn.
The shooter and one of the victims were men and the other victim was a woman, Zahn said.
There was no immediate word on a motive, and no details of the shooting were given.
Pentagon spokesman said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was "saddened" upon learning of the deaths of the servicemen.
"His heart and his prayers are with them and their families. He believes that the legendary strength of the United States Marine Corps will ensure that they are forever remembered," spokesman George Little said in a statement.
CBS News and other media reported the gunman first killed a male Marine, then barricaded himself inside a barracks. He was found dead later of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A second body was found in the officer candidate school, these reports quoted another spokesman, First Lieutenant Augustin Solivan, as saying.
Immediately after the shooting, the base went into lockdown, which has since been lifted.
Source: Agence France Presse
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