The Navy has recognized a sailor who died final week from a gunshot wound at Naval Station Nice Lakes, Illinois.
Seaman Recruit Kayshawn Wilkerson, 18, died Wednesday following an incident on the base’s firing vary, in keeping with the Lake County Coroner’s Workplace.
An post-mortem decided that the dying was “in keeping with [a] self-inflicted” gunshot wound. The Naval Felony Investigative Service and the Lake County Coroner’s Workplace are investigating the dying, in keeping with the Navy and Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
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“We’re saddened to substantiate the dying of Seaman Recruit Kayshawn Wilkerson, a recruit assigned to Recruit Coaching Command (RTC), Nice Lakes, Illinois, on Aug. 6, 2025,” Navy Public Affairs Officer Lt. Beau Nickerson stated in a press release Monday. “The Navy is offering full help to the household, pals and shipmates affected by this tragic loss.”
Wilkerson enlisted within the Navy on June 23 and was attending boot camp on the time of his dying. He graduated with honors on Might 30 from Forest Excessive College in Ocala, Florida.
Wilkerson’s dying is the fifth of a sailor assigned to Nice Lakes since April and the primary of a recruit.
In keeping with USNI News, two sailors — Chief Gunner’s Mate Daniel Dlask and Machinist’s Mate First Class Jacob Lavold died by suicide on April 18 and Might 14, respectively.
Dlask had served on the command since October 2023; Lavold was a recruit division commander who had served there since January 2022.
Chief Injury Controlman Reba Miller died April 28 from issues of alcohol use dysfunction, and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Makaio Bartley died Might 4 in a automobile accident that the coroner’s workplace decided was a suicide.
Naval Schooling and Coaching Command has ordered an investigation into the deaths of Dlask, Lavold and Miller. The evaluation is being overseen by Rear Adm. Robert Nowakowski, the unit’s deputy commander.
The Navy had 15 suicides amongst active-duty sailors within the first quarter of 2025, down from 24 throughout the identical interval final yr, however up three from the final quarter of 2024. The Protection Division’s Suicide Prevention Workplace has not but launched suicide knowledge for the second quarter of 2025, which runs from April 1 to June 30.
Throughout the companies, 71 active-duty personnel took their very own lives within the first quarter of 2025, in keeping with the DSPO.
The DoD Inspector Common’s Workplace launched an investigation final March into the Navy’s prevention and dealing with of suicides and suicide makes an attempt by its personnel however has not launched the result of that evaluation.
The transfer adopted at the very least 9 tragic deaths by suicide aboard the service George Washington whereas the ship was present process upkeep at Newport News Shipbuilding. The service Theodore Roosevelt additionally had three suicide deaths whereas it was in a shipyard in Washington state.
Investigations into the deaths discovered that the service was not successfully implementing suicide prevention and that it wanted to enhance residing situations and high quality of life for sailors.
Information from Navy surveys discovered that, in 2023, junior enlisted sailors — these within the ranks of E-1 by way of E-6 — reported the very best ranges of stress within the service, with 40% saying they confronted extreme or excessive stress ranges, up from 29% in 2019.
