Trending Topics

Shooter, Victims Identified in Quantico Marine Base Shooting

Marine Sgt. Eusebio Lopez, the alleged gunman.

Marine Sgt. Eusebio Lopez, 25, shot and killed 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Sara Castromata and 23-year-old Jacob Wooley in the barracks near the Quantico Officer Candidates School where all three were employed, according to military officials. Lopez then turned  the gun on himself.

Officials initially believed the shooting to be the result of a love triangle, but have not confirmed a motive or relationship between the three individuals.

Lopez was a tactics instructor at the officer school who had earned 10 awards since joining the service in 2006, according to CNN. He did two overseas tours. He hailed from Pacifica, Calif., just 65 miles from Castromata’s hometown of Oakley, Calif.

The youngest of the three, Castromata entered the Marine Corps in 2011, and had just received her promotion to Lance Cpl. in February. She served as a warehouse clerk on the base.

Wooley was a field radio operator who worked with the officer school, from Guntown, Miss. He received several medals during his tenure, including the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Shots rang out on the Quantico base at around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, prompting a lockdown of the premises. Though officers responded and found one body immediately, it was not until about 3 a.m. that the other two bodies were found in the barracks. Military officials declined questions about the delay, but said there was no standoff with Lopez before his death.

The case remains under the investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS). The shooting was the second tragedy of the week for the Marines, who saw seven of their own die during a training exercise in Nevada last Monday.

Back to top