A 34-year-old Napa U.S. Army private died Saturday in Bayji, Iraq, from a gunshot wound suffered in a non-combat incident.

Jennifer Cole’s death is under investigation, according to the Department of Defense said her mother, Candy Gholson of Napa.

“All we know is she was shot. She was not on maneuvers. It was an accident. It could have been someone was cleaning their weapon, it went off and struck my daughter. I really don’t know all of the circumstances,” Gholson said. “It’s so hard ... being so far away.”

Cole was assigned to the 426th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

Cole was born in Vallejo. She and her family later moved to Napa, where she attended Silverado Middle School. She graduated from Vintage High School in 1992.

Cole joined the Army about a year ago, Gholson said. After finishing boot camp at Fort Jackson, S.C., she was assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

“She was due to come home for an 18-day visit on Aug. 11. She loved Iraq,” said Gholson.

“Jennifer really believed we made a difference. She loved the people. She said they were very open to the Americans and believed we were there to help them make a better life. She was the light of my life,” Gholson said, fighting back tears. “My husband died June 4. It is comforting to know they are together.”

Gholson was not sure when Jennifer’s body would be returned to Napa. “Because her death is under investigation, it could take some time,” she said.

Gholson said Jennifer had been in Iraq since March.

“She always said the people there made her feel welcome. Jennifer told me that a lot of reports we hear on television are not always right,” she said.

Before Cole enlisted in the Army, she worked at the floral shop in Vallejo that Gholson owned for 12 years.

“She was a natural, very artistic ... a very talented designer. She was planning to get back into the business when she returned from Iraq. And she so loved to sing. She had a beautiful voice,” Gholson said. “I just can’t believe this has happened. My daughter is not coming home. But she was so proud of what she was doing and was proud to be able to serve her country.”

In addition to her mother, Jennifer is survived by her brothers James and Jeffrey Cole and numerous other family members.

Bayji is a city of about 200,000 north of Baghdad and west of Kirkuk, about equally far from the Iraqi borders with Syria in the west, Turkey in the north and Iran to the east. It is home to the country’s largest oil refinery.

Local ties

Cole is the fourth person with ties to Napa to die in Iraq since the war began in 2003.

In November 2004, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Phillip West, 19, of American Canyon was killed in Fallujah as he entered a home where insurgents lay ready to ambush Marines. West’s actions on that day helped save the lives of fellow Marines and earned him multiple honors.

Two months later, U.S. Marine Cpl. Kirk Bosselmann, 21, a native of Maryland who enlisted while he was in Napa, was killed while on patrol in the Al-Anbar region of Iraq.

In August 2007, Tim Shea, a former Napa Valley College student and employee who was from Sonoma, was killed in Iraq.

Shea was a U.S. Army ranger involved in special operations throughout Iraq. He attended NVC and worked at the college’s media center.

His mother, Mary Shea, is a Spanish teacher at NVC.

To date, 4,131 military personnel have died in the Iraq war since 2003, according to the Associated Press.

Register Staff Writer Carlos Villatoro contributed to this report.