Tamera Mowry and Adam Housley Mourn Niece Killed in California Bar Shooting

LOS ANGELES - APR 30: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Adam Housley at the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards - Arrivals at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on April 30, 2017 in Pasadena, CA (Credit: Shutterstock)

The niece of former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley and his wife, The Real star Tamera Mowry-Housley, was killed in the California bar shooting, the couple confirmed in a statement Thursday.

Alaina Housley, 18, died after a gunman opened fire late Wednesday night at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

“Our hearts are broken. We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks,” the couple said in a statement to the media.

Adam Housley tweeted a statement from his brother Arik and his sister-in-law Hannah, who said they were devastated after losing their daughter, who was a student at Pepperdine University.

“Words can’t describe our grief over losing our daughter, Alaina. She was everything we could hope for in a child: kind, smart, beautiful and respectful,” the statement said.

Alaina was one of twelve people who died when a former U.S. Marine machine gunner opened fire at the country music bar, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Eighteen other people were injured in the shooting rampage in the quiet community about 40 miles outside Los Angeles.

During a news conference Thursday, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean described the crime scene as “horrific.”

“There’s blood everywhere,” Dean told reporters.

Ventura County sheriff’s Sergeant Ron Helus was also killed in the shooting. He and a California Highway Patrol officer were the first people to respond to the shooting, Dean said. The two ran into the bar about four minutes after the first 911 call.

“There’s no doubt that they saved lives by going in there and engaging with the suspect,” Dean noted.

Helus was a 29-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, according to Dean. The fallen officer leaves behind a wife and son.

Authorities said the gunman, 28-year-old Ian David Long, opened fire around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday during college night at the bar. He shot an unarmed security guard outside the venue, then went inside and opened fire. Long was found dead in the bar of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The sheriff said the gunman was armed with a .45 caliber Glock 21 handgun equipped with a high-capacity magazine to hold more ammunition, which is illegal in California.

“The weapon did have an extended magazine on it,” Dean said. “We do not know at this time how many rounds were actually in the weapon or how many rounds the magazine could actually hold because it’s still being processed as part of the evidence.”

Dean, who was set to retire Friday, said officers went to Long’s home in April to respond to a disturbance call.

Mental health workers talked to Long, who lived with his mother, and determined that no further action was necessary.