Military officials told Reuters on Wednesday that a "negligent discharge" from a United States Marine's firearm fatally struck a fellow guardsman at a North Carolina Army base.
A Camp Lejeune sentry died on Tuesday night, after he was hit with a single shot to the chest by another Marine on guard duty.
Authorities said the second sentry's M4 rifle discharged while the two were standing guard at a shack located near the base's main entrance.
The shooting did not call for a lockdown of the base located just outside of Jacksonville, N.C. Neither identities of the two sentries have been released, Reuters reported.
Military law enforcement officials took the guardsman whose gun discharged into custody, where he remained on Wednesday. Authorities said they'd keep him in confinement while investigators sorted out the timeline and details of the event.
Camp Lejeune spokesperson Nat Fahy told Reuters that initial inspections seemed to prove the shooting was accidental. But until that fact can be confirmed, "it will take several weeks of forensic examination to confirm this with absolute certainty."
Officials wouldn't comment on potential criminal charges that could be brought against the Marine whose firearm discharged.
Recent events at United States military bases have prompted questions of security at various Army headquarters.
A soldier fatally shot three and wounded 16 others at the Fort Hood Army base last week before he committed suicide, Reuters reported.
President Obama arrived at the Texas base on Wednesday afternoon to attend a memorial for the fallen soldiers.
