Fort Bragg Paratrooper, 29, Found Dead in His Barracks: 'A Tragedy'

Vanessa Etienne
·2 min read
Pfc. Mikel Rubino, 29, of Oroville, Calif. was declared deceased by emergency medical services upon their arrival to his barracks room on Aug. 13, 2020.
Pfc. Mikel Rubino, 29, of Oroville, Calif. was declared deceased by emergency medical services upon their arrival to his barracks room on Aug. 13, 2020.

U.S. Army

A 29-year-old paratrooper died on Friday after he was found unresponsive in his barracks at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, according to multiple reports.

Private First Class Mikel Rubino, from Oroville, California, was declared dead at the scene by first responders, leaving behind his wife, Alyssa, and their daughter, NBC affiliate WRAL reported, citing the U.S. Army base.

"The loss of Mikel to his family, friends, and fellow Paratroopers is a tragedy," Col. Phillip J. Kiniery III, commander 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, said in a statement obtained by the station. "We mourn Mikel's passing alongside his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all during this difficult time."

Rubino joined the Army last year, serving as an infantryman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, and 2nd Brigade Combat Team, ABC affiliate WTVD reported.

Throughout his service, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Army Parachutist Badge, the Army Times reported.

No further details were provided and Rubino's death is still under investigation. The Army did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request to comment.

RELATED: Foul Play Suspected in Deaths of Master Sergeant and Army Veteran Found Dead at Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg has seen several deaths over the past year.

In April, another Army paratrooper at Fort Bragg, Spc. Abigail Jenks, died after doing a static-line jump training. The 20-year-old native of Gansevoort, New York was parachuting from a UH-60 Blackhawk when she suffered fatal injuries, the 82nd Airborne Division said at the time.

In December, two other Fort Bragg men — a master sergeant and an army veteran — were found dead in the North Carolina military installation's training area.

At the time, authorities said that foul play was suspected in the men's deaths, though no weapon was found at the scene. The deaths were also unrelated to official military training, the News & Observer reported.