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Marine Shot and Killed by OC Deputy May Have Been Taking Daughters for 'Prayer Walk'
Photo by carl & tracy gossett via Flickr
Police are no closer to understanding why an on-duty sheriff shot and killed a Marine from Camp Pendleton in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The bizarre and tragic story goes like this, according to the L.A. Times: 31-year-old Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. was driving in his SUV with his two daughters, age 9 and 14, at about 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Inexplicably, he crashed his car through the gates of San Clemente High School.
But being at San Clemente High School wasn't unusual for them -- Loggins often took his daughters there for early morning "prayer walks" around the track.
A deputy -- whose name hasn't been released -- was sitting nearby in a patrol car doing paperwork. He pulled up behind the SUV after the crash, and as he did so Loggins got out and headed to the track. The deputy asked Loggins to stop and Loggins ignored him, and that's where it gets strange. The Times reports:
When Loggins turned and headed back to the Yukon, the deputy suddenly felt threatened and opened fire, [sheriff's spokesman Jim] Amormino said. Amormino said he did not know why the deputy felt threatened, or how many shots were fired, or whether Loggins was armed. Marine sources said Loggins was not in possession of a weapon.
Loggins was described by his fellow Marines as deeply religious and very respectful. In response to the shooting, Loggins' supervisor, Major Christopher Cox, told the Times, "I've got some Marines that are very upset."
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