According to the FBI, who have taken the lead in the investigation of the two Coast Guard personnel shot at the Kodiak Coast Guard base, the case is being treated as a double homicide.

The bodies of the two men were found Thursday morning shortly after they would have arrived to the station. They were found by another Coast Guard member in their normal work areas.

The incident Thursday morning at the Coast Guard Communication Station is the first deadly shootings at an Alaskan Coast Guard base in over a decade. Eric Gonzalez, the Anchorage-based Special Investigator for the FBI said, “No arrests have been made in connection with the shootings,” Gonzalez said. “We are obviously trying to determine the person responsible for the murders.”

“The Coast Guard has been informed by the FBI that they are treating this investigation as a double homicide,” Coast Guard officials wrote. “There is no evidence to suggest these deaths are the result of a murder suicide. No arrests have been made and all residents are advised to use reasonable safety precautions and to report any suspicious activity to their local law enforcement agency.”

The victims have been identified as Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins, an electronics technician, and Richard Belisle, a civilian employee and retired Coast Guard chief petty officer.

Petty Officer Hopkins began his service to the Nation in the U.S. Navy, before transferring into the Coast Guard in 2002. He accumulated over 20 years of active duty service and was assigned to Kodiak for the last three years. Jim is survived by his wife Debra and is the father of two adult children.

Chief Belisle was a long-time resident of Kodiak. He retired from the Coast Guard as a Boatswain Mate Chief after over 20 years of service. He was continuing to serve as a Coast Guard civilian employee. Rich is survived by his wife Nichole and is the father of three adult children.

Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, commander, 17th Coast Guard District, said of the tragedy, “As an organization with roots in saving lives and a focus on protecting people, this tragic event has shocked us all. My thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s families, their loved ones, and the entire Kodiak community.”

“Our Coast Guard team from across the nation has been extremely supportive and we have sent a number of crisis response personnel and resources to Kodiak to assist the victim’s families, friends and coworkers as they cope with this tragedy,” said Ostebo.

Neither Coast Guard nor FBI officials would discuss what investigators knew about the circumstances of the shooting or what the two men were doing when slain.

The base remains on heightened security today. The station where the men worked were equipped with security cameras, but no information has been released on what if anything those cameras recorded of the incident or of activities around the area.