Marine shoots himself in stomach at Marine Barracks in DC, officials say

WASHINGTON - A Marine shot himself while standing post at the Marine Barracks in the District on Friday, according to officials.

The 19-year-old Marine was standing guard near the house of the Commandant of the Marine Corps at the Marine Barracks in the 800 block of G Street in Southeast D.C. when he shot himself in the stomach at about 8 a.m., according to Marine Gunnery Sgt. John Jackson.

"Marines are not necessarily assigned to one specific post whenever they're here, they will rotate different posts so I don't know if I would say he was assigned to a post outside the Commandant's home, I'm not sure if that would be accurate but he was assigned here to the barracks," Jackson said.

Though there is a guard shack nearby where the Marine was shot, a spokesperson said the Marine was actually on the sidewalk when he shot himself.

Officials said the Marine was taken to George Washington University Hospital and was listed in stable condition. NCIS is handling the investigation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story described the shooting as "accidental." The Marine Corps has not confirmed if the shooting was accidental, only stating it was "self-inflicted."