Pineville firefighters honor Richard Sheltra by giving cookies to fellow emergency responders

PINEVILLE, N.C. — Pineville firefighter Richard Sheltra would have turned 23 years old Saturday.

Sheltra died in the line of duty two years ago.

His brothers at the Pineville Fire Department honored Sheltra’s life with cookies.

Since Sheltra's death, the firefighters have used his birthday as a way to give thanks to their fellow emergency crews.

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"Today is just about taking cookies to your local first responders and just showing some appreciation for them and what they do because Richard's favorite cookie was the chocolate chip cookie,” Assistant Pineville Fire Chief Jeff Long said.

Sheltra was part of the Pineville Fire Department for three years before he died.

In 2016, he was honored with the title of "Firefighter of the Year."

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