JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — The community here is grappling with a complex and tragic loss after Officer Philip Chiorino, a 31-year-old Jacksonville Police officer and former U.S. Marine Corps firearms instructor, was shot and killed Tuesday by base security personnel on Camp Lejeune.
The incident occurred near Tarawa Terrace Elementary School on the massive Marine Corps base. In a brief statement, Jacksonville Police Chief Jarad Phelps confirmed the death of one of his officers but noted the investigation is outside his department’s jurisdiction and is being led by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and Camp Lejeune authorities.
“Any loss of a member of the department hurts,” Chief Phelps said, expressing the department’s profound grief while citing the limited information available to him.
Sources have identified the fallen officer as Philip Chiorino, who lived just blocks from the school near the shooting scene. He joined the Jacksonville Police Department in August 2024, following a distinguished military career. Chiorino served multiple tours in Afghanistan and was a firearms instructor for the Marine Corps, a background that colleagues say made him a remarkably disciplined and skilled officer.
“He was the calmest, most professional person in the room,” said a fellow officer who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation. “He carried the ethos of the Marine Corps with him—semper fi, always faithful. To have his life end like this, on a base he once served, is just… it’s a tragedy layered on a tragedy.”
The central and haunting question—why a police officer was shot by military base security—remains unanswered. NCIS and Camp Lejeune officials have not released any details regarding the circumstances that led to the use of deadly force, the events preceding the shooting, or whether Chiorino was armed or in uniform. The silence has left a vacuum filled with grief and confusion.
“He was our neighbor. A quiet guy, always a wave when he saw you outside,” said Maria Reyes, who lives on Chiorino’s street. “To know he’s gone, and that we don’t know how or why it happened right near our kids’ school… it’s terrifying and heartbreaking.”
The tragedy highlights the unique intersection of the military and civilian communities in Jacksonville, a city deeply intertwined with the base. Chiorino embodied that connection—a warrior who transitioned to protecting the home-front community adjacent to the battlefield he once knew.
As NCIS continues its investigation, tributes for Officer Philip Chiorino have begun to flow online and at the Jacksonville Police Department, honoring a man who dedicated his adult life to service in two of America’s most dangerous professions. The flags at the police headquarters are flying at half-staff, a silent tribute to a life of service cut short by a fatal confrontation whose details are known only to a few.