Palace condoles with family of Fil-Am teen killed in California mass shooting

Malacañang on Friday expressed its condolences to the family of a teenage Filipino-American who died following a mass shooting in California on Thursday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed that Alaina Punzalan Housley, an 18-year-old freshman student from Pepperdine University, was among the 12 people who died after a gunman opened fire in a crowded Southern California bar popular among college students.

The gunman, identified by authorities as Ian David Long, 28, was found dead in the office of the Borderline Bar and Grill, located in Thousand Oaks, a suburb about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Los Angeles after the incident on late Wednesday evening, apparently having shot himself.

“The Palace offers its heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the families of those who perished in the latest mass shooting...We express our deep condolences to her [Housley] family and loved ones,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.

Panelo said the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles continues to monitor the developments and coordinate with authorities, together with the leaders of the Filipino-American community to check if there are more victims among the 25,879 Filipinos and Filipino-Americans living in Ventura County. —KBK, GMA News