photo

Hibs’ fans yesterday paid tribute to Private Shaun Cole who sadly passed away following a suspected hit and run incident whilst on holiday in Miami where he had been at the Ultra Music Festival along with two friends.

In the 22nd minute of the Championship game against Queen of the South, supporters of both teams stood and applauded as a mark of respect for the young soldier.

Shaun who attended Balgreen Primary and Tynecastle High School was a big Hearts’ fan but rivalries were forgotten on this occasion.

The 22 year-old private with the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland had completed two tours of Afghanistan and also served in Sierre Leone in January where he was part of a mission to tackle the deadly Ebola virus.

Police said that his body had been  on a pavement and that he had suffered a blunt force trauma to the head.

Shaun’s commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Matt Munro said “The men and women of 1 Scots are shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Private Shaun Cole.

“Only recently back from helping to battle the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone and a veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan, Shaun achieved an extraordinary amount in a military career that was full of promise but was tragically cut short. we will miss him terribly.

“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Shaun’s family and this desperately difficult time.”

In a statement released by the Army, Shaun’s family said: “It comes with such regret that we have had to say goodbye to an amazing son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend.

“An extremely popular young man, he had a flair for life and was always the life and soul of everyone he was around. He was an incredible young man who had his life taken from him too soon. We ask everyone to respect our privacy to grieve.”

In a follow up statement released by the Army, Shaun’s family said: “We would like to inform everyone that Miami Police are now following a line of inquiry that would suggest that Shaun was involved in a hit and run incident.

“We would like to thank Miami Police and Consular staff and everyone who has offered support to our family over the last few days.”

+ posts

John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.