Marine shooter, victim hail from Bay Area

The Marine who murdered two of his colleagues and then turned the gun on himself at Marine Corps Base Quantico was a Pacifica native, military officials announced Saturday. One of the two victims was an Oakley native.

Sgt. Eusebio Lopez, 25, shot and killed Lance Cpl. Sara Castromata, originally from Oakley, and Cpl. Jacob Wooley, a Mississippi native, Thursday night inside the barracks of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

Lopez, who specialized as a machine-gunner, was a tactics instructor at the base’s Officer Candidate School. He joined the Marines in 2006 and during his service earned at least 10 awards, including the Combat Action Ribbon and the Humanitarian Service Medal, CNN reports. He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Castromata, 19, joined the Marines in 2011 and served as a warehouse clerk. She attained her current rank last month and her awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal.

Lopez’s great-grandfather, also named Eusebio Lopez, 81, told KTVU-TV the Marines contacted their family Friday. He said:

“They told us they were investigating more, and they’d let us know. He wasn’t the type to do stuff like that.”

Officials have yet to elaborate on a possible motive or on the extent of the relationship between the three fallen Marines. The shooting is under the investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.