KELSEYVILLE — A U.S. Army helicopter gunner from Kelseyville died Thursday along with 10 others when the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying in crashed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Richard Essex, 23, was a 2008 Kelseyville High School graduate.
Clearlake Mayor Joey Luiz said he knew Essex”s family and found out about his death from Mayme Dyslin, Essex”s aunt.
“My heart dropped when I got the message,” Luiz said.
According to the New York Times, a spokesman for the Taliban said the group had shot down the helicopter, but American officials said there was no indication yet that enemy fire was the cause.
The helicopter crashed in a Taliban-controlled area in the northern part of Kandahar Province known as Shah Wali Kot around 10 a.m. Thursday, according to the New York Times.
Essex was one of seven U.S. soldiers killed onboard. Three Afghan soldiers and an interpreter were also killed.
The Black Hawk was operating in support of an ongoing assault on the ground, according to the Associated Press.
