Marine guard shot to death by colleague at N.C. base

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- A Marine posted at the main gate of a North Carolina base shot and killed a colleague inside a guard shack Tuesday, a military spokesman said.

Camp Lejeune spokesman Nat Fahy said the shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. Law enforcement and emergency personnel attempted to revive the shooting victim at the scene, but Fahy said the person was later pronounced dead at a base hospital.

Fahy said the Marine who fired the shot from his M4 rifle was in custody and awaiting questioning by Naval Criminal Investigative Services.

The name of the shooter, who Fahy said was a male, hasn't been released, and Fahy said the victim's name is being withheld until relatives are notified. There were other guards at the gate, but no one else was hurt.

The shack is approximately 15 by 15 feet and sits under a canopy, Fahy said. He didn't know whether anyone other than the two Marines involved in the shooting were inside the shack at the time.

Fahy said the main gate remained open after the shooting, He said authorities isolated the area, and when it was determined the situation was secure, traffic was allowed to pass on and off the base.

"At no time was the base ever on lockdown," Fahy said.

The shooting comes less than a week after a fatal rampage at Fort Hood in Texas. There, a soldier is accused of firing 35 shots over an eight-minute span, killing three and wounding 16 others.

Fahy stressed the difference in the two situations.

"We understand that people are at a state of heightened sensitivity, given what happened over at Fort Hood," Fahy said. "It's important that we convey that this is not a Fort Hood-like incident. It was an isolated incident that's no longer active."