WASHINGTON, DC – A Marine from northwestern Minnesota has died after an apparent accidental shooting. 20-year old Riley S. Kuznia was killed while on duty in a Washington D.C. barracks.
Police said the shooting was accidental, and that he did not shoot himself.
The news spread quickly in the small town of Karlstad Minnesota in Kittson County.
“Great kid. Very involved and very well liked by his classmates,” said Tri-County School Superintendent Ryan Baron of the 2017 graduate. “He had about 15 classmates, and he was very liked. He was a very positive kid.”
On Facebook, his mother posted “with broken hearts we lost a loving son, cherished brother and dedicated Marine. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayer during this difficult time! Please use his Facebook account to share all the amazing memories you shared with this goofy kid. Semper fidelis!”
Superintendent Baron said Riley was passionate about hockey as well. “We had a co-op with Kittson County and he was very involved in that for several years.”
He said the news is hitting people hard after a student died last year due to a medical situation and two years ago, a student survived a very serious car crash.
