21-year-old Marine shot dead in his barracks by 'fellow recruit' on South Carolina air base
A marine was shot dead in his barracks allegedly by one of his 'fellow recruits' while on the South Carolina air base. 21-year-old Cpl. Tyler Wallingford passed away on Friday after the shooting at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina.
21-year-old Cpl. Spencer Daily who allegedly shot Wallingford is currently being held in custody. It is currently unclear why he shot Wallingford who has been described by family members as a beloved son, a good friend, as well as a volunteer firefighter. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is leading the investigation into the young Marine's death. A Marines spokesman Lieutenant Kevin Buss has not yet revealed what the motive behind the unfortunate shooting was.
He released a statement to DailyMail and said, "Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of our fallen Marine." It is also not known how long Daily and Wallingford had been in the military. Both the men were friends on Facebook and were Aircraft Ordnance Technicians with VMFAT-501. Daily had enlisted in 2015 while Wallingford had enlisted a year later in 2016.
Wallingford's family who are from Standish, Maine, were seen begging for answers on social media as the news of his untimely death spread. His aunt Amy Hanen shared on Facebook, "I still can't believe my nephew is gone. My family is absolutely devastated. Tyler was just an adventurous fun loving young man. His whole life was an adventure. He absolutely loved the outdoors and being pushed physically to another level." Wallingford's parents have not yet spoken out about their son's death.
His friends described him as an "amazing soul" who "touched so many people's lives". In a social media tribute, one friend shared, "You were such a good man." Standish Fire- EMS posted a tribute to Wallingford on Sunday.