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Marine killed in training exercise was Florida 19-year-old
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – The Marine Corps says the Marine killed during a live-fire training exercise at a California desert base was a 19-year-old from Florida.
The military branch said in a statement Wednesday that Lance Cpl. Austin J. Ruiz of Naples, Florida, served as a combat engineer with the III Marine Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa, Japan.
Ruiz was killed Friday during training that involved firearms in preparation for a larger exercise at Twentynine Palms Marine Corps base in Southern California. A second Marine was flown to a Palm Springs hospital and is listed in critical condition.
Ruiz is assigned to the 3rd Marine Division and based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Officials are investigating and released no additional details.
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