NORTH COUNTY - A 31-year-old Army Reserve captain with ties to North County died Saturday in Iraq, family members said.

Brian Freeman was a 1993 graduate of Torrey Pines High School who had lived in Temecula with his wife and two young children for the last couple years, said his father, Randy.

Freeman was a captain in the U.S. Army working in civil affairs. He was deployed to Iraq in May - his first tour of duty there, Randy Freeman said.

After more than six months in Iraq, Brian Freeman returned home for Christmas and headed back overseas on Jan. 6, his father added.

The elder Freeman said he learned of his son's death Sunday, when military members arrived at his other son's Escondido home, where the father was staying.

"Something you never, ever want to go through is seeing a guy in uniform, with a piece of paper at your door. They start with, 'The secretary … da-tah da-ta-dah… sorry to say …,'" Randy Freeman recalled. "It's so scary."

While the Army usually notifies the spouse of fallen soldiers first, Freeman's wife and mother were both out of town at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. One of his neighbors saw two military people coming to the door and began calling other family members.

Randy Freeman said the military officials did not provide many details on how his son died. He believes his son was killed during a meeting to build up security forces and reconnect utility services in Karbala when a convoy of gunmen arrived and began shooting.

"We're not sure if he was outside or inside, or who the militia were; but he didn't make it," the elder Freeman said.

The military has not yet issued a news release stating the circumstances of Freeman's death. His father said the family also is waiting for news from the Army as to when the body will arrive in the United States and when funeral arrangements can be made.

Freeman moved to Temecula in 2004 and began work with KB Homes as a project manager. He lived with his wife, Charlotte, and two children, son, Gunner, 3, and daughter, Ingrid, who is about 1.

"She's torn up like we all are," Randy Freeman said of his son's wife. "I'm in denial. This isn't supposed to happen. … Your kids bury you; you don't bury your kids."

Brian Freeman was born in Bakersfield and moved with his mother to the San Diego area when he was about 5 years old.

Freeman was one of eight people who sought the appointment to fill an empty Temecula Valley Unified School District seat in 2005. When asked why he wanted the duty, Freeman responded: "I want to get involved with my local community. I want a chance to make a difference."

- Contact staff writer Nicole Sack (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@nctimes.com.