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A video screen grab shows a police car at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., responding to a shooting incident that left three Marines dead on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

A video screen grab shows a police car at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., responding to a shooting incident that left three Marines dead on Thursday, March 21, 2013. (Defense Department)

WASHINGTON — Investigators are still searching for answers after a shooting at Marine Corps Base Quantico that left three Marines — including the suspected shooter — dead.

The Provost Marshal’s Office first received a 911 call at 10:30 p.m. Thursday about the incident at Taylor Hall, a barracks for staff at Officer Candidates School, base commander Col. David Maxwell said Friday morning.

Authorities were on the scene within five minutes and “did not report hearing any shots or firing any shots,” Maxwell said in a press conference.

By 11 p.m., the base had activated its mass notification system, which consists of loudspeakers, texts and emails, to alert residents and employees about the situation and warn them to stay inside. Restrictions on the base were lifted around 2:30 a.m., Maxwell said.

The two men and one woman were pronounced dead at the scene, Maxwell said. One man, the suspected shooter, was killed by what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he said.

All three Marines worked at OCS. No officer candidates were involved, and all candidates and other OCS staff have been accounted for, Maxwell said.

The names of the three Marines killed will not be released until after their families have been notified.

“This is a tragic loss for our Marine Corps family,” Maxwell said.

hlad.jennifer@stripes.com Twitter: @jhlad

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