Fort Knox shooting: Soldier charged with murder

Fort Knox shooting: A soldier has been charged with murder after shooting a civilian in a Fort Knox parking lot yesterday.

A soldier apprehended Thursday in Tennessee was charged with murder in the shooting death of a civilian employee at Kentucky's Fort Knox a day earlier.

The FBI said in a court filing that Marquinta E. Jacobs fired a .45-caliber handgun at the victim, "striking him several times." Jacobs is charged with murder, according to the criminal complaint.

Jacobs is the soldier whom Army investigators said was apprehended Thursday in Portland, Tenn., FBI spokeswoman Mary Trotman said.

Army investigators had said a soldier wanted for questioning in the killing was apprehended in Portland, where Jacobs' mother lives. But the Army declined to identify the soldier, except to say he is a member of Fort Knox's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.

The shooting occurred around 5:40 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot at the Army Human Resources Command building, prompting a brief lockdown at the Army post in central Kentucky, about an hour southwest of Louisville.

The victim was an employee of the command, which handles personnel actions for soldiers.

A witness saw the Wednesday shooting after Jacobs and the victim had a verbal exchange in the parking lot, according to the federal criminal complaint, which gave the following account:

The witness reported seeing Jacobs shoot the victim, identified as "L.G.," several times and then flee in a Dodge pickup truck. Investigators found eight shell casings at the scene.

Investigators interviewed Jacobs' wife, who said he owned a .45-caliber Glock pistol, and they found ammunition at the home that matches the kind used at the crime scene. Jacobs' wife told police that Jacobs had left the home on a black motorcycle.

The motorcycle was found at the home of Jacobs' mother in Portland. His mother told police he had left around 9 p.m. Wednesday driving a Kia Rondo.

Police in Portland referred questions to the Army Criminal Investigation Command on Thursday. A message left for a spokesman at Army CID was not immediately returned Thursday night. Fort Knox has said in a statement that the soldier was a man believed to be traveling on a motorcycle.

After the shooting, the victim was transported to the Ireland Army Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead Wednesday.

Chris Grey, a spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Command, said the shooting was a personal incident.

"Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are continuing the investigation and as previously released the shooting appears to be a domestic issue and not a random act of violence," Grey said in a statement.

The identity of the victim was being withheld pending notification of family.

AP writer Beth Campbell contributed to this report from Louisville