U.S. Army: Soldier from Minnesota found dead at South Carolina base
Updated: 3:15 p.m.
A 19-year-old Army National Guard soldier was found dead at a South Carolina training base, officials confirmed.
In a tweet Thursday, Army officials at Fort Jackson identified the soldier as Pvt. Connor J. McGurran.
McGurran was found unresponsive at a Fort Jackson field location Wednesday morning, according to a statement from base spokesperson Leslie Ann Sully.
The soldier's unit took life-saving measures while contacting emergency medical services, she added.
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Paramedics brought him to a hospital but medical staff couldn't revive him.
The Minnesota National Guard said McGurran was born in Owatonna and trained at the guard's facility in Arden Hills. McGurran enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard on Sept. 12 and had been at Fort Jackson since October. He was “on track to become a Bradley fighting vehicle system maintainer.”
Minnesota National Guard’s Lt. Col. Eduardo Suarez, who was McGurran’s commander, extended sympathies to the man’s family and friends.
“He was a soldier with a promising future in our organization. We will provide every comfort to his family and the Recruiting and Retention Battalion, who are devastated by his untimely death. This is a tragic loss for the Minnesota National Guard,” Lt. Col. Suarez said.
An investigation into the cause of death is underway.