Kern County soldier fatally shot in Iraq while evacuating building
By: Associated Press | ∞
SHAFTER -- An Army Special Forces soldier who enlisted in the military after his high school graduation was killed when he helped evacuate a building in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Ricardo Barraza, 24, of Shafter, died over the weekend after he was shot in the chest, his family said.
"He always thought of the rest of the people, not to have glory, but for everyone," his mother, Nina Barraza, told The Bakersfield Californian on Monday. "He respected that uniform."
Army officials visited the Barrazas on Sunday at their home in Shafter, about 20 miles northwest of Bakersfield, to tell them of Ricardo Barraza's death, she said.
Family members said they were not sure exactly when Barraza died. The U.S. Department of Defense has not yet confirmed the death.
Ricardo Barraza, who had been in Iraq since 2002, graduated from Shafter High School in 1999. Friends described him as an outgoing athlete who played football, basketball and ran track.
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