The four Marines killed by a lone gunman in Chattanooga Thursday included a Purple heart recipient with nearly 18 years of service and a 21-year-old Marine on his first tour.
The Marine Corps on Friday officially released the names and service records of the four Marines killed in the attack on two military facilities in Tennessee. The release came 24 hours after families of the troops were notified, in accordance with Marine Corps policy.
Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, Sgt. Carson Holmquist and Lance Cpl. Squire 'Skip' Wells were killed on duty when the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Chattanooga when a shooter opened fire on the center with an automatic rifle at approximately 11 a.m.
Officials with Headquarters Marine Corps confirmed the fallen Marines all currently served with Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, a Chattanooga-based Reserve artillery unit based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The shooter, identified by the FBI as Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, first fired about 30 rounds into an Armed Forces recruiting center about seven miles away before leading police on a high-speed car chase to the Reserve Center. Police engaged Abdulazeez in a 20-minute firefight that resulted in the shooter's death, according to the Times Free Press. It's unclear if Abdulazeez was killed by the police or his own hand.
A Marine Corps recruiter, a sailor and Chattanooga police officer Dennis Pedigo were also wounded in the attacks. The Navy identified the sailor Friday as a male petty officer who is being treated at a local hospital, but did not provide an update on his medical status. The Marine recruiter suffered a wound to the leg and was treated at a local hospital and has been released, Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Paul Greenberg said. He declined to release additional information due to privacy concerns. The Navy identified the sailor Friday as a male petty officer who is being treated at a local hospital, but did not provide an update on his medical status. Pedigo was shot in the ankle and could be released from Chattanooga's Erlanger Medical Center soon, NBC reported.
The Fallen
The shooter, identified by the FBI as Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, first fired about 30 rounds into an Armed Forces recruiting center about seven miles away before leading police on a high-speed car chase to the Reserve Center.
He then opened fire on the unarmed Marines and engaged in a 20-minute firefight with police before also being killed, according to the Times Free Press, although it is yet unknown if by the police or his own hand.
Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan, 40, from Hampden, Massachusetts, served as a Field Artillery Cannoneer.
Sullivan enlisted in the Marine Corps on September 2, 1997. He deployed twice to Iraq in 2004 and 2007, and to the Western Pacific in 2014.
Sullivan was a 2011 graduate of the American Military University, according to his Facebook profile.
His awards include two Purple Hearts, a Combat Action Ribbon, and a Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt, 37, from Burke, North Carolina, served as a Field Artillery Operations Man.
Wyatt enlisted in the Marine Corps on May 4, 2004. He deployed twice to Iraq in 2007 and 2008, and to Afghanistan in 2010.
The Tennessean reported that Wyatt was married with two children.
His awards include a Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal and an Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist, 27, from Polk, Wisconsin, served as an Automotive Maintenance Technician.
Holmquist enlisted in the Marine Corps on January 20, 2009, and deployed twice to Afghanistan in 2013 and 2014.
He lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina, according to WRCB-TV.
His awards include a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Lance Cpl. Squire K. "Skip" Wells, 21 from Cobb, Georgia, also served as a Field Artillery Cannoneer.
Wells had previously studied history at Georgia Southern University from 2012 through fall 2013, according to his Facebook profile and a Thursday announcement from the school.
"The entire Georgia Southern University community is saddened by the news that former student and Marine Skip Wells was killed yesterday in the Chattanooga tragedy along with three fellow Marines," university officials said in a release posted to the school's web page. "The Eagle Nation offers our deepest condolences to his family and the families of those killed and wounded during this incident."
Wells enlisted in the Marine Corps on February 10, 2014, and was serving on active duty operational support.
"Please keep our fallen Marines in Tennessee and their families in your thoughts and prayers," Marine Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford, Jr. said in a statement Friday morning. "Also pray for a speedy recovery of those wounded and affected by this tragedy. Our focus remains on supporting the families of our Marines."
Californian Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter, a former Marine and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, announced Friday morning that he will introduce legislation which would allow military recruiters to carry firearms to defend against such attacks in the future.
Staff writer Hope Hodge Seck contributed.
