Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry-Housley’s niece by marriage, Alaina Housley, is among the victims of a deadly mass shooting at Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks, California Wednesday night that left at least 12 people dead.
“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,” Mowry-Housley and her husband stated via their joint representative in a statement to USA Today. “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.”
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Mowry-Housley had reported her niece missing on Twitter after Alaina’s suitemate posted a plea for information regarding the 18-year-old Pepperdine student, her suitemate claiming that Alaina had been among “a handful of girls [who] went to line dance” at the bar, which was holding a college night when 28-year-old Ian David Long opened fire at around 11:20 p.m.
Alaina, the niece of Mowry-Housley’s husband, former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley, had not been seen or heard from since. Her Apple Watch and iPhone had still pinged her location as being inside of the bar, according to the Los Angeles Times reporter Andrea Castillo, who spoke to Housley.
“Housley said two of Alaina’s suitemates jumped through a broken window to escape and are at a hospital with major glass wounds. As they ran away from the bar, someone screamed ‘Hey! Get the (expletive) down on the ground!’ They told Housley they believe it was the gunman,” Castillo explained. “But they kept running toward houses near Los Robles Greens golf course, where they got help from residents.”
Housley had searched for his niece at the Los Robles Regional Medical Center, where a guard turned him away at around 3:30 a.m. as the hospital was placed on lockdown. Housley also went to the crime scene hoping to find his niece and also called a hotline, though they were unable to provide him with information.
“My gut is saying she’s inside the bar, dead. I’m hoping I’m wrong,” Housley said at the time. “She’s an amazing girl. I know you always hear those things… You just don’t think that — same stupid quote — you just don’t think it’s going to happen to you.”
He later asked for prayers on Twitter, writing, “Staying positive and praying and hoping and wishing there was more I could do.” At 7:50 a.m., he reported that he still had no information regarding Alaina.
At this time, authorities are continuing their investigation into the shooting, including Long’s motive.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Helus and 22-year-old Cody Coffman have also been confirmed victims of the shooting.
Photo credit: Getty Images
