PHOENIX – A Phoenix-area Marine stationed in North Carolina drowned in the ocean over the weekend, authorities said.

Emerald Isle, North Carolina, police said Lance Cpl. Justin Hinds of Avondale, Arizona, was pronounced dead at a hospital Saturday.

The 28-year-old had been pulled from the ocean about 30 miles east of Jacksonsville, North Carolina, between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Hinds was stationed at nearby Camp Lejeune.

Police said in a Facebook post that an emergency call reported a swimmer in distress at 4:23 p.m.

“The sudden loss of Lance Cpl. Hinds is absolutely devastating for the entire command,” Col. Scott Conway, commanding officer of Hinds Headquarters and Support Battalion, said in a statement at the Jacksonsville Daily News.

Yellow flags dotted the popular tourist beach, indicating a moderate risk of strong currents, the police statement read.

Hinds’ death was the fourth drowning on the North Carolina coast of the year.

A Chapel Hill man was found dead April 25 in the surf near the boardwalk at Carolina Beach, and two Wake Forest High School students got caught in a rip current April 22 off Emerald Isle.

Investigators have not said whether or not Hinds, an administrative specialist with Alpha Company, was caught in a rip current.

The National Weather Service said winds were 10-15 mph, the water was 67 degrees and surf conditions were 3 to 5 feet.

“My sincere hope is that his loved ones can take some comfort knowing what a profound impact he had on those with whom he served. He will be missed,” Conway said.

Hinds enlisted in the Army in June 2011 as a combat engineer and joined the Marines in January 2016.

In between, he was deployed to Afghanistan for a year then joined the Army National Guard from April 2014 to December 2015, Lejeune spokesman Nat Fahy said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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