Knife-wielding man killed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego was base employee

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A man armed with a knife who was shot and killed at the entrance to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego last month was a Boston resident who worked at the base, authorities said Wednesday.

A guard shot and killed Travers Spargo King, 36, on Nov. 26.

At the time, authorities said the man drove up to an entrance, ignored several orders to stop, then finally got out of an SUV and approached a checkpoint kiosk with a knife and “hostile intent.”

He ignored several warnings from security before being shot and died at the scene, authorities said.

King was a civilian who worked as an air conditioner technician at the depot from March to November and he previously served in the U.S. Coast Guard, according to a statement from the base.

However, authorities didn’t say whether he was still employed at the depot at the time of his death.

Authorities haven’t provided other details of the confrontation. The shooting remains under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The depot is near San Diego International Airport. Gate 5, where the incident took place, is used for visitors. It has security kiosks under a metal awning.

On the day of the incident, KSWB-TV reported that an SUV with open doors could be seen in one of the visitor lanes, and a body covered by a tarp lay a short distance away under the gate’s awning.

Marine Recruit Depot San Diego, which trains recruits mainly from west of the Mississippi River, handles tens of thousands of recruits each year. The depot is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.