Tamera Mowry-Housley and Adam Housley's niece confirmed dead in Borderline bar shooting
Thirteen people are confirmed dead following a mass shooting at the country-themed Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., including the niece of Tamera Mowry-Housley and Adam Housley.
A spokesperson for the couple confirmed the sad news of the death of Alaina Housley, 18, to Yahoo on Thursday. In a statement, they said, “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. Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time.”
The actress and co-host of The Real also paid tribute to her beloved niece in an emotional post on social media.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by tameramowrytwo (@tameramowrytwo) on Nov 8, 2018 at 5:06pm PST
Pepperdine University in Malibu, which Alaina attended, has since confirmed the news as well and expressed condolences to the Housley family.
We are devastated to report that one of our students, Alaina Housley, was among those who passed away at Borderline in Thousand Oaks last night.
— Pepperdine University (@pepperdine) November 8, 2018
Until Thursday afternoon, it was unclear whether Alaina was among the victims. The couple initially took to social media early in the morning to reveal that she was missing and asked for prayers.
Please pray if you believe….pray.
— Adam Housley (@adamhousley) November 8, 2018
Housley described Alaina, who was part of the bridal party when he and Mowrey-Housley were married, as a “beautiful soul.”
My niece. A beautiful soul. https://t.co/HKXEWVbRV3
— Adam Housley (@adamhousley) November 8, 2018
Meanwhile, Mowry-Housley connected with Alaina’s suite mate, who had posted photos of the young woman, who had gone line dancing at the bar and hadn’t been accounted for. “She is wearing denim shorts, a blue flannel and sneakers,” wrote the friend. The university said that 16 students, mostly freshman, were in Borderline for the venue’s “college country night” at the time of the shooting.
Ashely this is her aunt Tamera Mowry Housley. Can you please DM me your information?
— Tamera Mowry-Housley (@TameraMowryTwo) November 8, 2018
As of midmorning, the couple still didn’t have an update.
We haven’t found her yet. It’s been 7 hrs since the shooting.
— Tamera Mowry-Housley (@TameraMowryTwo) November 8, 2018
However, they were hopeful that the outcome would be a positive one.
Staying positive and praying and hoping and wishing there was more I could do. https://t.co/sp9I9dLXsq
— Adam Housley (@adamhousley) November 8, 2018
Mowry-Housley’s twin sister, Tia Mowry, also took to social media to ask for prayers.
Woke up shocked. Please pray. Please pray. I am numb.
— Tia Mowry (@TiaMowry) November 8, 2018
And she shared a photo from her sister’s wedding with a young Alaina between them.
A post shared by tiamowry (@tiamowry) on Nov 8, 2018 at 8:34am PST
Amid the horrible situation, Housley — who left Fox News over the summer because he objected to the way the network covered President Trump — was dealing with hate tweets.
I was waiting for the assholes to appear. Please do me a favor and introduce yourself in person and see what the result will be. https://t.co/IDannyW5wA
— Adam Housley (@adamhousley) November 8, 2018
A gunman opened fire inside the crowded bar late Wednesday night, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Among the dead are one deputy, Ron Helus, and the suspected gunman, identified as Ian David Long, who lived locally. At least 25 individuals were injured in the melee, during which approximately 30 shots were fired. Witnesses said the shooter had a handgun and used smoke grenades. The Los Angeles Times reported that friends of those who were inside the venue said the crowd included survivors of last year’s horrific mass shooting at the Route 91 music festival in Las Vegas.
“A lot of people in the Route 91 situation go here,” Chandler Gunn, 23, told the L.A. Times. “There’s people that live a whole lifetime without seeing this, and then there’s people that have seen it twice.”
Rob Lowe posted a tribute to Helus, who was close to retirement, according to reports. “This is what a hero looks like,” the actor wrote. The post was shared by several other celebrities.
A post shared by Rob Lowe (@robloweofficial) on Nov 8, 2018 at 3:49am PST
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