Slain Long Beach fire captain remembered in solemn procession, memorial

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Southern California is remembering fallen firefighter Capt. David Rosa.

Rosa was shot in an apparent ambush when responding to a fire at a Long Beach senior housing facility on Monday. A 77-year-old resident of the facility was arrested for murder and arson.

On Tuesday, a procession of fire engines escorted Rosa's body from the coroner's office to a mortuary in Laguna Woods.

Firefighters from different agencies lined the freeways in a show of respect as the procession moved by.

Throughout the day, community members brought flowers to the Long Beach fire station where he worked to create an impromptu memorial.

Odalys Monge, whose husband is a Long Beach firefighter, brought her three children to the station. They left a picture drawn by her daughter of a heart and the words "We love our LBFD."

"Everybody in the department is part of our family," she said.

Firefighters said they were grateful for the community's support.

"We are overwhelmed by the amount of support that we received from the local community and certainly I know the family is overwhelmed by the support that they've received from you as well," said Jake Heflin with the Long Beach Fire Department.