Early Tuesday morning, Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms went on lockdown. This was a result of reported gunshots, suspected to be from an active shooter. A 2 hour interaction ensued after military law enforcement found the suspect on a nearby hillside. However, this ended with the Marine in question receiving a fatal self inflicted gunshot wound. Although the individual has not been identified, they were initially treated on base. Afterwards, transported to a medical facility in Palm Springs. Ultimately, the Marine died from the injury.
Active shooter reported
Captain Nicole Plymale, a spokes person for the Marine Corps, made several statements publicly. She said the base's provost marshal's office(PMO) received calls of shots fired about 6:30 a.m. PST on Tuesday morning. The U.S. Marines confirmed on Twitter that authorities were investigating reports of an active shooter on the base at that time.Immediately, PMO began a targeted search. They soon acquired sight of the suspect, and closed in. The scene of the incident was on base, specifically a remote hillside. There has been no report as to what occurred during the 2 hour standoff. Law enforcement reportedly did not fire their weapons.
A self inflicted gunshot
A shelter-in-place order was lifted after the individual allegedly shot themselves. The Marine Corps has been very cautious as not to release the name, gender, or rank of the individual. Furthermore, they do not believe the initial gunshots were malicious. That is to say, the shooter did not target anyone, just nearly fired into the landscape.Twentynine Palms is a remote base in the Mojave desert. It is the largest base in the Marine Corps by square miles. 29 Palms, as it is called, is home to over 12,500 active duty troops. As well as 24,000 family members, & another 21,000 civilian personnel.At this time, we have limited information and will post any new developments. In keeping with their tight lipped nature, Marine Corps Public Affairs is holding this close to the chest. This begs the question, what really happened in 29 Palms?Sound off in the comments below, and send any tips to Dan.Sharp@GruntStyle.com