A suspected love triangle led to gunfire on the U.S. Marine Quantico base, leaving a husband injured and the man he believed was having an affair with his wife in handcuffs, court documents said.
It was early Sunday evening when authorities say Traveen Thomas confronted Aaron Barnard Roberts about his belief that Roberts was having a “relationship” with his wife, Petty Officer Darquita Rashae Thomas, court documents filed in Alexandria’s federal court said. Both Thomas and Roberts are civilians. A Marine spokesman said it wasn’t clear why the men were on the base.
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According to a statement Thomas made to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent, Roberts brandished a pistol and Thomas tried to flee. But as he ran, Thomas tripped and Roberts was quickly upon him. The two struggled and the .45 caliber pistol went off. The bullet struck Thomas in the left shin, court documents said.
Quantico spokesman Capt. Patrick Boyce said the bullet grazed Thomas and he was released from the Mary Washington Hospital in Fredricksburg after receiving stitches.
On Monday, the NCIS agent met with Roberts, and recorded in court documents his version of the encounter.
Roberts admitted to grabbing his pistol from the roof of his car when he saw Thomas approaching him, court documents said. Roberts, believing Thomas was also armed, said he chambered a round and put the pistol in his right jacket pocket.
The two began to argue and Thomas began backing out of the garage, at which point he tripped and fell, Roberts reportedly told the agent. As Thomas tried to get back to his feet, Roberts pulled the pistol from his pocket and tried to punch Thomas with his left hand. Thomas then spotted the pistol and tried to wrestle it from Roberts. According to Roberts, Thomas pulled the trigger in his effort to take the gun away.
When the gun went off, Thomas shouted, “you shot me,” three times, according to documents.
NCIS is trying to determine who owns the pistol and how it was brought onto the base, Boyce said. Guns must be registered with military police and concealed weapons are prohibited.
Neither Roberts nor Thomas are registered to live on the base, although it’s possible Thomas stays with his wife, Boyce said.
Roberts was taken into custody Monday and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and released on personal recognizance.
