CAMP PENDLETON -- Despite statements by the Navy that Seaman August Provost's death does not appear to be a hate crime, the sailor's family, gay rights advocates and a local congressman said Wednesday they remain skeptical.

"I want to see the evidence," said Rep. Bob Filner, D-Chula Vista. "I want to learn more."

Filner added: "There's some disturbing elements to this. He was harassed in the days leading up to this."

Provost, 29, of Houston, was found shot to death early June 30 inside a guard shack on the west side of the Marine Corps base.

One Camp Pendleton-based sailor remained in custody Wednesday in connection with the death. The suspect is linked to the crime by physical evidence and his own statements, Navy officials have said.

Officials allege that besides shooting Provost, the suspect also set a fire in the guard station in an attempt to destroy evidence. No charges have been brought against the suspect, a Navy spokesman said Wednesday.

Navy officials have said they are considering a wide range of motives in the case and are aggressively investigating the death.

Filner, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, last week asked the Defense Department and Marine Corps to determine whether the killing was a hate crime.

"How much writing on the wall do you have to put to understand this was not a regular crime?" asked Rose Roy, Provost's aunt, speaking Wednesday by phone from her home in Beaumont, Texas.

Roy said Provost spoke with her about being harassed and ostracized at Camp Pendleton because he was gay and black.

She said Provost's memorial service is planned for Friday morning at the Wright Grove Baptist Church in Houston.

Without more information about the shooting, many in the local gay community say they are worried about the outcome of the investigation.

"I think it's too early for them to say it's not a hate crime," said Max Disposti, chairman of the North County Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Coalition.

Disposti's group plans a candlelight memorial vigil for Provost at 7:30 p.m. Friday in front of the main gate at Camp Pendleton.

Doug Sayers, a spokesman for the Commander Navy Region Southwest, said he understands the interest in resolving the case quickly. But he added: "We have an abiding interest in making sure this is solved correctly. … Speed doesn't always equate to comprehensiveness."

He said there was no record of Provost filing any sexual harassment complaints.

"Everything we have learned, from the most junior to the most senior member of the command, is that Seaman Provost was well-liked, well-regarded and had a bright future ahead of him," Sayers said. "There's nothing that indicates a command climate of harassment."

The spokesman said he could not confirm a scenario that Filner said he was told by other Navy officials. Filner said he was told that a man charged the base and that Provost was killed merely because the assailant happened upon him at the guard shack.

Two other local congressmen are watching the Navy's investigation closely, though their spokesmen said neither has called for an immediate disclosure of evidence, as Filner has.

Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Carlsbad, is "looking forward to (the Navy) conducting a thorough investigation," said Bilbray's spokesman Fritz Chaleff. "I think that he would rather stay out of the speculation business and allow the (Navy investigators) to do their job rather than lose their focus."

A spokesman for Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, R-El Cajon, said: "It is important that the investigation be allowed to move forward so we can obtain a clear understanding of the facts. Congressman Hunter has full confidence in the Navy and its ability to conduct a thorough investigation of this incident."

Call staff writer Chris Nichols at 760-740-5426.

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