Gunfire broke out at Marine Corps Base Quantico in eastern Virginia late Thursday night as a U.S. Marine fired on and killed two of his colleagues before turning the weapon on himself and taking his own life.

The two soldiers were shot near the officer candidate school on the base. After shooting the two soldiers, a man and a woman, the shooter took his own life. One of the bodies, the male victim, was found outside the barracks, the other victim, the female was found inside the barracks where the body of the shooter was also found.

The shootings were first reported at approximately 10:30 pm. Officers did not find the bodies in the barracks until after 3 am, it is unclear why so much time went by before the discovery.

Investigators are considering that the motive may have had something to do with a romantic involvement, although that motive has not been confirmed. All three of the dead were staffers at the school.

Early reports say that the shooter had barricaded himself in the barracks and that a stand-off ensued, but personnel on the base say that this is not so, no stand-of occurred.

A half hour after the shooting occurred, the base issued a notification to the personnel on base that a lockdown of the facility was in place and asked that everyone remain in their homes with their doors locked.

The names of the victims and the shooter have not yet been revealed to the public pending notification of their next of kin.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was notified of the shootings, he communicated that he was saddened by the events at the base.

All other personnel assigned to the base are accounted for and safe according to the authorities.