A U.S. Marine has been arrested for stabbing a fellow soldier to death in California earlier this week, authorities said.
Private First Class Marine Ethan Barclay-Weberpal was ambushed by a fellow Marine at the Pendleton military camp outside San Diego on Tuesday morning, Marine Corps officials said.
Barclay-Weberpal, 18, graduated from a Michigan high school last May and enlisted in the Marine Corps two months later, according to his father, Scott Weberpal, who posted a string of heartbreaking social media messages after his son’s death.
“It’s with excruciating sadness and tears in my eyes that I’m writing this,” Weberpal said in a Facebook post Wednesday. “My only son, my own blood, Marine PFC Ethan Andrew Barclay-Weberpal, was killed yesterday.”
The Marine suspected of killing the teenager was cuffed shortly after the stabbing. The suspect has not been identified, and Marine officials did not immediately disclose a motive for the deadly violence.
Barclay-Weberpal’s family launched an online fundraiser for funeral expenses that had nearly reached its goal of $10,000 Thursday afternoon.
“Being a Marine was a dream of Ethan’s for many years and he was extremely proud to be serving his country,” relatives posted on the fundraiser page. “Ethan was a vibrant young man who loved life and loves his family and friends.”