Two Marines honored for ‘heroic’ actions during NC nightclub shooting, USMC says

Two Marines based out of Camp Lejeune are being honored for their “heroic” efforts at a nightclub shooting in Wilmington, North Carolina.

It happened at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, and a club patron died, despite the best efforts of the two corporals, the U.S. Marine Corps said in a news release.

Cpl. Johnny Tamayo had just returned from a deployment exercise when he joined a group of friends at a nightclub called Unhinged, USMC officials said.

“As soon as the gunshots rang out, I already knew what they were,” Tamayo said in the news release. “I looked down and saw the victim at the bottom of the staircase. Everybody else had already run out, so I instinctively ran down there.”

Tamayo instinctively began “checking for additional victims and potential threats while calling for someone to contact law enforcement,” officials said.

“Drawing back on training, he improvised medical treatment using towels provided by a bartender to try to stop severe bleeding from a gunshot wound to the victim’s neck,” officials said.

Another member of Tamayo’s party, Cpl. Emily Martinez, was outside the club when she heard shots and saw people running from the building, officials said.

Her first instinct was to find Tamayo, so she ran back into the club.

“Martinez pushed past attempts by staff to stop her and joined Tamayo at the scene. With the severity of the injury, she remained at the scene and assisted Tamayo as they worked to provide emergency aid until law enforcement arrived,” the USMC says.

Wilmington police identified the man who died as 23-year-old Emir Moore.

A 29-year-old North Carolina man has been charged with first degree murder in connection with his death, court documents show.

The two Marines are assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which learned of the incident after Tamayo provided a witness statement to Wilmington police.

Master Sgt. James Boles, a communications chief with the battalion, said the pair demonstrated the “selflessness expected of Marines.”

“We recently returned from a 10-month deployment where we trained and prepared for combat,” Boles said. “They executed exactly how a United States Marine should, and I’m immensely proud of them.”

Tamayo has been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and Martinez was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, USMC officials said.

Wilmington is about a 130-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 6:41 AM with the headline "Two Marines honored for ‘heroic’ actions during NC nightclub shooting, USMC says."