Thousands attended a public memorial service Monday for former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, who was killed at a Texas shooting range allegedly by a young veteran he was trying to help.
Mourners filled Cowboys Stadium to pay tribute to the 38-year-old who was reputed to be the deadliest sniper in American military history.
Kyle spent many years living in San Diego’s East County, one of his friends told NBC 7 San Diego.
At Kyle's two-hour memorial service Monday, his friends and military service members described him as a dedicated family man known for his sense of humor, compassion, selflessness and generosity.
Kyle's widow Taya Kyle told mourners that her late husband would always be with her.
Kyle left the Navy in 2009 after four tours of duty in Iraq and wrote the best-selling book "American Sniper."
25-year-old Iraq War veteran Eddie Ray Routh has been charged with killing Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield at a gun range Feb. 2.
Kyle will be buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin after a 200-mile funeral procession starting in the Dallas area Tuesday morning
