Marine Killed in Russian Roulette as Friends Watch : Fatality: Victim displayed open cylinder holding one round, then fired shot into his mouth, authorities say.

By ERIC YOUNG

Feb. 27, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

A 21-year-old Marine from El Toro, playing Russian roulette at a San Bernardino County shooting range, fatally shot himself in the mouth as friends looked on, authorities said Wednesday.

Lance Cpl. David M. Strevel of Algonac, Mich., an aircraft mechanic, died at the scene of the shooting Monday, said Alex Reyes, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Strevel, standing next to a car, reportedly called to three friends who were walking toward him as they prepared to leave the firing range at Lytle Creek, about 10 miles north of Fontana. Strevel held up the open cylinder of a .357 magnum, showing that it held one bullet, Reyes said. After clicking the cylinder shut, he pulled the trigger once, firing the bullet into his head, authorities said.

The Marines have begun their own investigation into Strevel’s death, said Marine Corps Capt. Betsy Sweatt. That investigation will focus on whether any Marine codes of conduct were violated at the scene of the shooting, Sweatt said. She declined to elaborate.

Strevel had been based at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station for the past six months.

Strevel’s friends at Lytle Creek said he had not been distraught, Reyes said. Family members in Michigan, who learned of Strevel’s death Tuesday, said he had been excited about his upcoming wedding back home after his discharge.

“He was not depressed,” said his mother, Diane. “He called Monday. He was getting married. He was on top of the world,” she said. “He loved life. He was an easygoing kid.”

Diane Strevel said her son was scheduled to be discharged in January, 1993. He planned to return to Michigan and possibly enlist in the reserves.

Diane Strevel said she could not believe he would play Russian roulette.

“I have heard other people do this in the service, thinking it’s cute, I guess,” she said.

But friends interviewed by sheriff’s deputies portrayed Strevel as a risk-taker, Reyes said. His friends said Strevel was always “pushing himself to the edge,” he said. They said Strevel played with guns, but did not say whether he had played Russian roulette before, Reyes said.

“We’re having a bad time,” Diane Strevel said. “It’s hard to believe this. If it had been a war it would have been easier, I think. They lost a good guy.”