The dad-of-two, who was in the Royal Green Jackets regiment for six-years, had recently travelled close to Somalia in seas plagued by ‘pirates’
A decorated former British soldier has been shot dead as he returned to his ship after a night out in America.
Satyan Dave, from Hendon, London, was gunned down at about 5am on Thursday near the Port of Oakland in California.
The 49-year-old father-of-two had only hours earlier docked in the city aboard a container ship that had travelled close to Somalia in seas plagued by pirates.
Authorities said Dave, who used to run his own security business, was a contract employee for a shipping company with offices in Oakland.
It is thought Satyan, who is originally from South Africa, had been out to dinner before making his way back to his ship berthed in the port.
It was not clear what kind of work he did, but it may have involved some kind of security position, a relative said. The shipping company declined to comment.
A spokesman for Oakland Police Department said they are still trying to establish why he was in the area in the early hours of the morning and have been interviewing his colleagues.
Police on Monday were trying to determine Dave’s last known movements, but he may have gone out to another nearby city for dinner, authorities said.
His death is said to have stunned former members of his former regiment, The Royal Green Jackets.
Dave served as a rifleman for six years before re-training as an audio-visual technician, where he worked for the bank Credit-Suisse.
A friend from his former regiment added: ‘Satyan worked mostly on ships that travelled around Somalia where pirates try hijacking the ships.’
