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Sailor kills self near guards, MAs

A Navy corpsman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Sunday night while six law enforcement personnel were at his apartment near Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine, Navy officials confirmed Tuesday.

Hospitalman Christopher Purcell, 21, was in his on-base apartment with four base security officers and two masters-at-arms, who had arrived after learning that Purcell had told family and friends that he was in emotional distress, said NAS Brunswick spokesman John James.

After Purcell reportedly shot himself in the chest, attempts to revive him failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

James declined to say what type of weapon Purcell used in the shooting, but he said it was not Navy-issued. Navy regulations require all privately owned weapons to be checked into installation armories, he added.

James said the exact circumstances of the shooting were under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Purcell, of Northbrook, Ill., enlisted in 2005 and worked at the NAS Brunswick Branch Medical Clinic.