Tyler Wallingford of Standish was given a burial with full military honors in Maine. Photo courtesy of Kristena Wallingford
The U.S. Marine who shot and killed a Marine corporal from Maine nine months ago will spend almost six years in a military prison.
Jeff Houston, a spokesman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, said Sunday night in an email that Cpl. Spencer Daily, 21, of Youngstown, Ohio, was court-martialed Jan. 6 in South Carolina and was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Tyler Patrick Wallingford, 21, of Standish, Maine.
Tyler Wallingford Photo courtesy of Standish Public Safety Department
The NCIS, which was called on to investigate the shooting, revealed that the shooting took place while Daily and Wallingford were playing a video game last spring in Daily’s barracks room.
“Daily claimed that while drinking alcohol and playing a video game with the victim, he pointed his gun and accidentally shot the victim,” NCIS said in a statement.
NCIS said Daily was sentenced at his general court-martial to 69 months of confinement by the military court after being found guilty of willful discharge of a firearm under circumstances to endanger human life and involuntary manslaughter.
Daily had been the only suspect since the start of the NCIS investigation “based on allegations Daily shot and wounded a fellow Marine in his barracks room.”
The shooting took place around 9:30 p.m. on April 12 at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina. Daily and Wallingford were both employed as aircraft ordnance technicians with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501.
Wallingford was a third-generation firefighter, who started working with the Standish Fire Department in 2013 while he was still in high school. His father, Richard, also worked at the Standish Fire Department when his son worked there.
Wallingford finished his fire training with a local department in South Carolina, but whenever he returned to Maine, the local firefighting crew would leave his gear out in case he decided to respond to a call.
Wallingford was given a burial with full military honors in Maine. When his body was returned to Maine, firefighters, first responders and firetrucks met the procession at every overpass on Interstate 95 between Boston and Portland.
According to his obituary, Wallingford grew up in Standish and graduated from Bonny Eagle High School in 2015. During his time at Bonny Eagle, Wallingford was active in several sports, including football, basketball, baseball and swimming. He competed on the varsity swim team. Shortly after graduation, he joined the Marines and left for boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was later stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina.
His family said that during his time in South Carolina, Wallingford developed a passion for skydiving, completing more than 100 jumps. He celebrated his 100th skydive by jumping naked, his obituary said.
“His fearless and fun attitude inspired anyone who met him,” his family said.
His grandmother, Diana Wallingford, raised more than $5,400 using the social media platform GoFundMe to purchase and install a 30-foot flagpole and plaque in his memory at the Sebago Lake landing boat launch. The memorial was unveiled in November. Wallingford worked at the boat launch for two summers.
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