Military: Marine fatally shot colleague at NC base

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — A Marine is in custody after military officials say he shot and fatally wounded a colleague with his M4 rifle while standing guard at the main gate of a North Carolina base.

The shooting happened about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, when the Marine fired on his colleague inside a guard shack at Camp Lejeune.

Law enforcement and emergency personnel attempted to revive the victim, who was shot once, but the person was later pronounced dead at a base hospital.

Camp Lejeune spokesman Capt. Joshua Smith said Wednesday that the Marine who fired the shot from his M4 rifle was immediately taken into custody.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating. The name of the shooter, who is male, hasn't been released. No charges have yet been filed.

Smith said the victim's name won't be made public until at least 24 hours after next-of-kin are notified of the death, following standard military procedure.

There were other guards at the gate, but no one else was hurt. The shack is about 15 feet by 15 feet and sits under a canopy.

The shooting came less than a week after a shooting rampage by a soldier at Fort Hood in Texas killed three and wounded 16 others.

Lejeune spokesman Nat 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 Tuesday night. "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 It was an isolated incident that's no longer active."

Fahy said the main gate remained open after the shooting.

He said authorities isolated the area immediately after the shooting, 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.