Victims in the Pearl Harbor Shooting Identified One Day Before Anniversary of Historic Attack
Two days after a U.S. Navy sailor opened fire at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, the shooter and two civilian victims have been identified.
Vincent J. Kapoi and Roldan A. Agustin were named as the Department of Defense civilians that died as a result of Wednesday’s shooting, the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam announced on Twitter on Friday. Both men worked on the shipyard: Kapoi, 30, as a metals inspector apprentice and Agustin, 49, as a shop planner.
Both men were remembered lovingly by their families, who issued statements to local media on Friday.
“He was a loving son, brother, uncle and friend to many,” Agustin’s family said in a statement that hailed the shop planner as “true American patriot,” according to CBS News.
“Having grown up in Waipahu, Roldan enjoyed working on cars with his friends and spending time with his family and adored his nieces. We will forever remember Roldan to be humble and honest, and a generous and patient man.”
“He will always be that easy going, fun loving, ‘let’s do this’ man that will remain in our hearts,” Kapoi’s sister Theona said in a family statement of the metals inspector. “There are so many unanswered questions. We all have to be honest, it changes nothing because we can’t bring him back. What we must do is honor his memory, keep him alive in our hearts.”
A GoFundMe set up to raise money for Kapoi’s funeral has earned more than $1,200.
The man who killed Kapoi and Agustin was Machinist’s Mate Auxiliary Fireman Gabriel Antonio Romero, who was assigned to the submarine USS Columbia, JBPHH said, which is dry-docked at the shipyard for routine maintenance.
Romero, 22, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, JBPHH said, after joining the Navy in December of 2017. He was from Texas.
The Navy Times added that a third, unidentified victim is still recovering at a nearby hospital. The Queens Medical Center previously told PEOPLE that they received one 36-year-old male patient on Wednesday as a result of the shooting.
JBPHH security forces and the Honolulu fire department responded to a report of an active shooter on the base on Wednesday afternoon, putting the base on lockdown for a few hours.
“Obviously, our thoughts are with the families of the victims and everyone involved,” said Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick at the press conference Wednesday once the lockdown was lifted.
The identification of Romero, Kapoi and Agustin comes just one day before the 78th anniversary of the infamous Japanese air strike on Pearl Harbor that took place on December 7, 1941. The surprise attack killed thousands of Americans, and prompted the United States to enter World War II the very next day.
The Pearl Harbor National Memorial is expected to have increased security on Saturday for the annual commemoration of the attack, CBS News reported.
