Staff Sgt. David Dunlap lived in Colorado only about two months before he and his wife were gunned down by a burglar at his home Monday.

The Fort Carson soldier, who was shot to death in his southeast Colorado Springs house, was a helicopter mechanic for the post’s new combat aviation brigade, the post said Wednesday – a grim beginning to a unit that remains under construction.

The brigade is scheduled to get its first helicopters later this week, said Maj. Andrew Ruiz, the units spokesman.

“It’s an extreme tragedy that’s going on out here,” Ruiz said. “We’re extending our condolences out to the family. I guess everybody’s just trying to get through it right now.”

Only about 850 of the brigade’s planned 2,700 soldiers have arrived at the post, Ruiz said. Construction crews broke ground on the unit’s first buildings in June. Most of the multi-million dollar contracts needed to build the brigade have yet to be awarded.

Dunlap, 37, was a mechanic for the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.

He deployed once to Iraq, from June 6, 2007 through Aug. 6, 2008.

Dunlap and his new wife, Whitney, 35, moved into their home at 222 Bassett Drive in October. They returned home Monday and encountered a burglar, who fatally shot both of them and escaped, police said. The couple was expecting their first child.

As of Wednesday, Colorado Springs police had not announced a suspect.

Dunlap arrived at Fort Carson with the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, on Nov. 16.

He won several awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal.

“The Fort Carson community mourns the tragic loss of Staff Sgt. David C. Dunlap and his wife Whitney Dunlap,” the post said in a press release.

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Whitney Butler and David Dunlap Photo by Courtesy of Facebook

Whitney Butler and David Dunlap Photo by Courtesy of Facebook

Whitney Butler and David Dunlap Photo by Courtesy of Facebook