Marines Anticipate Lengthy Investigation of Quantico Shootings

In response to the fatal shootings a the Marine Corps Base Quantico a press conference was held Friday morning at the Museum of Marine Corps.

“It has been a long night as we have begun to deal with the tremendous loss which we have suffered last night,” began Colonel David Maxwell, commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico. “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."

Col. Maxwell gave details of the shooting, and explained it could be some time before all the information is brought to light. He asked people for their patience throughout the investigation, saying, “I anticipate a lengthy investigation.”

He also and said that the identities of the shooter and his victims would not be identified for 24 hours, enough time for next of kin to be notified.

Maxwell told the crowd the fatal shootings were confined to Taylor Hall, a single barracks at the Officer Candidates School, and that all Candidates staff and personnel are safe and have been accounted for.

He thanked the Provost Marshall’s Office and Prince William Police department for their handling of the situation.

“The quick reaction of our Provost Marshalls Office and Prince William County police enabled us to assess the extent of the situation and to act quickly to resolve it,” Maxwell said.

While Maxwell did not identify the shooter, he described him as an active-duty male Marine who “was pronounced dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound by law enforcement officers at the scene.”

Maxwell only identified the two victims, one male and one female, as both active-duty Marines who held permanent personnel positions at the Officers Candidate School. The shooter also held a personnel position at the school.

The Colonel then proceeded to outline Wednesday night’s events as they occurred at the Marine base. They began at 10:30 p.m. with a 9-1-1 call which was received by the Provost Marshall’s Office.

“Within five minutes of notification, authorities were on the scene,” Maxwell said. He added that “Authorities did not report hearing any shot or firing any shots.”

By 1 a.m. the Colonel describes security as having been “heightened” on the base, and said that mass notifications had been sent out via a voice mass notification system, which provided instructions to base residents and employees.

He said at 2:30 a.m. the restrictions had been lifted and the base returned to normal operations.

“The safety of our Marines, civilian Marines and families aboard Quantico is paramount,” Col. Maxwell told reporters.

While police will no doubt busy themselves investigating the shooter’s motives, many more at Quantico will be focused on rebuilding their community and providing support for those affected by the tragic incident.

“Our base and unit chaplains are currently providing counseling services to our Marines,” said Maxwell. “The well-being of our Marines and families aboard Quantico is a priority. As we take care of our Marines and their families who are dealing with this tragedy, I would ask the support of our neighbors, and their thoughts and prayers as well for our Marines and families aboard Quantico.”