U.S. Marine killed during training exercise in California
Lance Cpl. Jackson J. Forringer, a 20-year-old infantryman with the 2nd Marine Regiment based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, died on April 20 during training at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California.
Lance Cpl. Jackson J. Forringer Cause Of Death
According to reports, a gun accidentally discharged in a truck filled with other service members, but it is still unclear how Forringer was shot.
The incident is currently under investigation by the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), and no other injuries were reported.
Marine veteran Trey Smith-Tatham, who previously served with Forringer, said that Forringer was killed by an inadvertent gun discharge while he was with other Marines in the back of a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement truck.
Forringer arrived with his unit in Twentynine Palms for pre-deployment training in late March. Smith-Tatham believes that someone in the vehicle had their weapon’s safety off, causing the accidental discharge.
Smith-Tatham lost a close friend, Pfc. Zachary Riffle, who was killed along with a second Marine in a seven-ton truck rollover at Camp Lejeune in January 2022.
He recalled Forringer as a friendly and positive person who invited him along on gym workouts after Riffle’s passing to show moral support.
Forringer’s parents describe him as a humble and kind-spirited individual who loved to give back and help others.
Forringer died just weeks after three Camp Lejeune Marines were injured in a separate all-terrain vehicle crash at Twentynine Palms.
The Marine who had been driving the vehicle during the rollover crash that killed Riffle was acquitted on charges that included manslaughter and negligent homicide earlier this month.
For Smith-Tatham, the loss of so many friends at such a young age is difficult to bear. He says, “We shouldn’t be losing friends this young without any clarity or reason behind it.”
Aiva Arthur
