A security breach at Naval Station Norfolk resulted in the death of Petty Officer Mark Mayo and exposed critical failures in base security protocols.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 24, 2014, approximately 11:20 PM
- Perpetrator
- Jeffery Tyrone Savage, age 35, civilian truck driver
- Fatalities
- 2 (Petty Officer Mark Mayo and Jeffery Savage)
- Ship boarded
- USS Mahan, guided-missile destroyer
- Award to Mayo
- Navy and Marine Corps Medal (highest non-combat decoration)
- Investigations
- NCIS and one-star admiral Jeffrey Harley inquiry
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Jeffery Tyrone Savage, reportedly under the influence of synthetic marijuana and suspected of undiagnosed mental illness, drove to Naval Station Norfolk's Gate 5 on March 24, 2014. Civilian police at the gate failed to check his identification, assuming he would turn around, and did not activate anti-access controls or pursue him when he did not, allowing unauthorized entry to the base.
Savage drove to Navy Pier 1, boarded the USS Mahan, and disarmed the sailor on guard duty. He used her weapon to shoot Petty Officer Mark Mayo, the chief of the guard, who had intervened. Mayo was fatally wounded. Navy security forces subsequently engaged Savage in a shootout, killing him.
Petty Officer Mark Mayo died of his injuries and was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. Two investigations—by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Admiral Jeffrey Harley—found gate personnel 'clearly negligent' and civilian police guilty of 'gross lack of procedural compliance,' highlighting systemic security deficiencies at the installation.