CALIFORNIA BRIEFING

Pilot in fatal crash identified

The pilot flying an F/ A-18C fighter jet that crashed this week near the Marine Corps training center in Twentynine Palms has been identified, officials said Saturday.

Maj. Richard Norton, 36, of Arcadia was killed about 10:30 p.m. Thursday during a training mission near the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, officials said. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Norton, a fighter pilot who joined the Marines in 2005, was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. He had been deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 and to Japan multiple times, officials said.

He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.