The man killed Sunday on a beach near Venice was a seasoned U.S. soldier who survived two tours of duty in Iraq.
Sgt. 1st Class Ommy Irizarry, 36, and his daughter, 9-year-old Oceana, were hit while walking on the beach. Ommy was killed, and Oceana was badly injured. She remains in critical condition at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Irizarry lived with his family on base at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia. The family was vacationing in Florida.
Irizarry was a platoon sergeant assigned to Fort Stewart's Warrior Transition Battalion. He joined the Army in July 2002 and arrived at Fort Stewart in October 2010. He had two deployments, both to Iraq.
The Irizarry family was in Florida celebrating the couple's ninth wedding anniversary, according to military officials.
"This is a heart-wrenching situation, especially losing loved ones while on vacation to celebrate a family milestone," said 3rd Infantry Division and Stewart-Hunter commander Maj. Gen. Mike Murray. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Irizarry family."
Sgt. Jose Bocanegra, currently stationed in Hawaii, Skyped with us Monday about Ommy. He served with Ommy while they were stationed in Germany, and even deployed with him to Iraq.
Sgt. Bocanegra said Ommy was a mechanic, and survived many dangerous convoys and other risky situations.
“It’s so unfortunate, to survive all of that, and come home to die like this. On the beach with his family,” said Bocanegra. “He was such a cool guy. He’d do anything for anybody.”
Bocanegra said Ommy loved Salsa music, playing dominos, and had a lot of pride in being a soldier.
“He was from Puerto Rico, like me, and we have a lot of pride,” he said.
Most of all, Ommy loved his family.
“If there was ever a dream couple, it was them,” said Bocanegra, about Ommy and his wife, Rebecca.