PLYMOUTH — A local Marine was killed Sunday after a shooting in California. The Defense Department says a Marine from the Corps' 1st Marine Division at Twentynine Palms Marine Base died from a gunshot wound there, but has not officially released his name. Friends and family say they've been told the body was identified as Lance Corporal Cameron Babcock, 20, of Plymouth.

Marine Corps investigators are still working to find out exactly what happened, so they have released very little information so far. That has left those closest to Babcock waiting for answers.

"He would always be there as someone you needed," said Matt Keller, a life-long friend.

Their friendship began in kindergarten when Babcock wanted to be a firefighter, ran through band in junior high and at Plymouth High School, where Cameron played the trumpet.

It continued as Matt's friend left to begin training as a Marine.

"He did seem excited about going into the military," Keller said.

So when he found a page on the networking website "Facebook" with messages of love and loss, the shock set in quickly.

Just five months ago, Keller helped staff a booth at Plymouth's annual Blueberry Festival in Babcock's honor, sending care packages to his unit in Ramadi, Iraq.

"Very unexpected. I had seen that he had come back from Iraq. Knowing that he had gone over that and come back, and was safe... just kind of takes you back a little bit," Keller said.

That feeling is now shared by a grieving community, looking back on the life of an American hero.

"Anybody who goes over there, regardless of how the situation is, they're a true hero," Keller said.

More than 1,000 Marines from the First Marine Division are training at Twentynine Palms right now, and are scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan this spring.

A Marine Corps spokeswoman would not confirm whether Babcock was among those slated for that deployment, saying only that "this unfortunate, untimely and tragic loss is being felt throughout the Division."

The Marine Corps is expected to release more information on Tuesday.