Little League® International mourns the loss of Fire Captain David Rosa, long-time coach, manager, umpire, and former League President at San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) Little League. Captain Rosa was tragically killed in the line of duty earlier this week in an incident that injured another fire fighter and a civilian.
“We are truly saddened to hear of the loss of Captain Rosa and are forever grateful for the impact he has made as a Little League volunteer,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends, as well as everyone at San Juan Capistrano Little League and the entire Long Beach community.”
Captain Rosa served his local league for nearly a decade including a stint as the League President from 2014 to 2016. During his time with San Juan Capistrano, Mr. Rosa served in nearly every position, from coach and manager to his current role of Little League umpire.
“I can’t say it any more succinctly, Dave was as good a guy as you’re going to find,” said Todd Strane, former San Juan Capistrano Little League president, in a news interview. As these remarks show, Mr. Rosa was more than just a volunteer to the players and coaches at his local league, he was a member of their family, a mentor.
San Juan Capistrano Little League plans to pay tribute to Mr. Rosa as tournament season progresses, which began on Tuesday, June 26, with a small ceremony at the local field that included local firefighters.
It is with deep sadness and tremendous grief that we announce that Captain David Rosa has died from injuries sustained from a gunshot wound he sustained at an emergency incident. Capt. Rosa is a 17 year veteran of our department and is assigned to Station 10. pic.twitter.com/np03fecLQb
— Long Beach Fire (CA) (@lbfd) June 25, 2018