Actress and talk show host Tamera Mowry-Housley and her husband Adam Housley revealed on November 8 that their niece was one of the victims of the bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, California.
In a joint statement, the couple said their hearts are broken as a result of 18-year-old Alaina Housley’s passing:
“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.”
Alaina was one of nearly 200 people at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California when a 28-year-old gunman opened fire, killing 12 people just before midnight.
It is believed the gunman took his own life following the massacre.
Alaina was at the country western-themed bar, which was throwing a college night, with a group of her friends.
Shortly after releasing a joint statement with her husband, Tamera took to her own Instagram account to talk a little more about the special bond she had with her niece.
She wrote:
Alaina. My sweet, sweet Alaina. My heart breaks. I’m still in disbelief. It’s not fair how you were taken and how soon you were taken from us. I was blessed to know you ever since you were 5. You stole my heart. I will miss our inside jokes, us serenading at the piano. Thank you for being patient with me learning how to braid your hair, and I will never forget our duet singing the national anthem at Napa’s soccer game. I love you. I love you. I love you. You are gonna make one gorgeous angel. My heart and prayers are with every victim of this tragedy.
@TameraMowryTwo thanks for helping @NapaValley1839 build soccer in the community. Don’t miss the Home Opener special guest;) #maxoutmemorial pic.twitter.com/GIS3O4SvYZ
— Arik Housley (@arikjih) March 24, 2017
And her husband, Adam Housley, took to Twitter to express his own heartache and share Alaina’s parents’ words following their daughter’s unexpected passing:
My brother Arik and his wife Hannah and my nephew Alex are some of the best people you’ll ever meet. They and Alaina are some of the most generous people in the world…and love their Napa community. This is from them…. pic.twitter.com/y2kyFKfnoO
— Adam Housley (@adamhousley) November 9, 2018
The statement read:
Words can’t describe our grief over long out daughter, Alaina. She was everything we could hope for in a child: kind, smart, beautiful and respectful.
She continued the family’s tradition of attending Pepperdine University. She was so happy to be a Wave. We are grateful to the Pepperdine community for their support during this difficult time.
We want to honor Alaina by focusing on how she lived her life. She would have enjoyed the public debate that is certain to happen after this tragedy. But she would have insisted that I be respectful with an eye toward solving these senseless shootings.
We send our condolences to the family and friend of the other victims. We especially thank Sgt. Ron Helus’ family for their sacrifice.
Tamera’s twin sister, Tia, also posted a short message on her own Instagram account:
She wrote, simply: “Our sweet Alaina. We are broken. Our hearts are broken. We love you.”