WILLIAMSBURG-A Franklin sailor with the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group died Saturday after an accidental handgun discharge during a weapons exercise at Naval Weapons Stations Yorktown-Cheatham Annex in Williamsburg.

Petty Officer 1st Class Ronald D. Spivey, 53, died from a gunshot wound to the chest during a scheduled weapons qualification exercise at the Cheatham Annex live firing range. Spivey was among approximately 40 service members qualifying with 9mm handguns at about 3:15 p.m. Saturday when the incident occurred. Spivey was treated at the scene by a Navy hospital corpsman and taken by ambulance to Riverside Medical Center in Newport News. He was pronounced dead at 4:33 p.m.

The Navy is investigating the incident.

Petty Officer Spivey has been a member of the reserve component for 24 years. He was mobilized in June 2005 for a seven-month deployment to Kuwait as part of Navy Customs Battalion PAPA. Spivey was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for his support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In May, Spivey affiliated with the Norfolk-based reserve detachment of NAVELSG’s Expeditionary Support Unit.