An airman from Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska was pronounced dead in a restaurant parking lot on Monday, the base said in a release.

Senior Airman Elijah Evans, 23, was from Waldorf, Maryland. He joined the Air Force in May 2016 and went to Eielson that November.

His death is being investigated by the police department of North Pole, Alaska, where he died, and other local authorities, the base said. Foul play is not suspected in his death.

RELATED

“We are heartbroken to have lost a valued member of our team yesterday,” Col. Benjamin Bishop, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson, said in the release. “Eielson considers itself a family and the loss of Elijah is felt by each of us deeply. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, and are with all those affected by this tragedy.”

An undated photo of Evans released by the Air Force, which had been posted on his personal Facebook page, showed him as an airman first class during his technical training. Evans is wearing the aiguillette, or yellow rope, in the photograph, showing he had been selected to serve as a flight leader during the training, and was responsible for all airmen assigned to his dormitory floor.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

Share:
In Other News
Load More