June 03, 2020 - 12:24 PM
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The military on Wednesday identified the woman and man killed in a shooting at the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
The U.S. Air Force said Airman 1st Class Natasha Raye Aposhian, 21, was killed in the shooting Monday morning in an air base dormitory. The military said Airman 1st Class Julian Carlos Torres, 20, died at a hospital of his injuries shortly after the shooting.
Aposhian was a native of Arizona who was assigned to the air base in April and worked as an aircraft parts store apprentice. Torres, a Texas native, was assigned to the base in December and worked as an installation entry controller and an internal security response team member.
“This is heartbreaking,” Col. Cameron Pringle, the 319th Reconnaissance Wing commander, said in a statement. “I cannot begin to express the sorrow and pain I feel on behalf of these units and the families affected by this tragedy.”
A base spokeswoman earlier told The Associated Press that no suspects were being sought in the shooting. No other details of the shooting were released Wednesday.
It was the first duty station for both airmen, and neither had been deployed. The investigation is expected to continue for weeks.
Immediately after the shooting, 21 airmen were moved out of the dormitory. Medical teams are providing disaster mental health services to help people who are affected, the base said.
The base specializes in unmanned aircraft operations and is located about 15 miles (24 kilometres) west of Grand Forks. The base is home to about 1,600 military members and 900 civilian employees.
___
This story has been corrected to correct base spokesman to base spokeswoman.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020