An American Armenian was one of the three officers killed in Helmand province by an Afghan police officer.

Capt. Matt Manoukian, 29, was shot dead with two other Marines on Friday after sharing a meal with Afghan policeman.

Manoukian, the son of two judges, joined the Marine Corps about seven years ago, utsandiego.com reports. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“He loved America. He loved people who were different than him. He was the ultimate tough guy, and if he was on your side, you were going to have a good day,” the website quotes his father Peter Manoukian

The incident occurred on Friday evening when an Afghan police officer invited the servicemen them to a meeting to discuss security issues. The police officer fled after the shooting and is being searched.