Marine killed in homicide at Camp Lejeune; second Marine held for suspected involvement

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — A Marine was killed in a homicide at Camp Lejeune and a second Marine was held on suspicion of being involved, the base said.

Base authorities took the Marine into custody about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday after an incident that occurred in a barracks room on the North Carolina base earlier in the evening, a statement from the base said.

The statement called the death a homicide and described the other Marine as a suspect but didn’t provide any other details, including how the Marine died.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service will investigate the death, according to a statement released by the base on Thursday afternoon.

The sprawling Camp Lejeune covers about 240 square miles (621 square kilometers) and is home to the II Marine Expeditionary Force. Its beaches and ranges provide training in amphibious assaults and urban warfare and it is used both for U.S. Marine training and for exercises involving other military forces from around the world.

The death came two days before the base was scheduled to conduct annual training known as Exercise Urgent Response that “provides an opportunity for tenant commands to develop and exercise emergency security procedures,” according to a press release.

In 2021, a Marine was shot and wounded in a barracks at the base. Authorities later determined that the shooting was accidental.