News

Who Was San Bernardino Victim Yvette Velasco?

by Claire Elizabeth Felter

The stories of the nine men and five women killed in Wednesday's mass shooting at San Bernardino's Inland Regional Center are gradually coming out after the county coroner's office announced the names on Thursday. Among the victims identified by authorities was Yvette Velasco, 27, of Fontana, California, an environmental health specialist for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health.

Family members came forward after the shooting looking for information on Velasco, who had been in attendance at Public Health Department's holiday gathering. Mindy Velasco, Yvette's aunt, told the Los Angeles Times that she called hospitals in the area, seeking any details on her niece's condition. Velasco's father went to evacuee centers and police departments in search of his daughter, the Portland Press Herald reports.

“I’m fearing the worst ... She would definitely be in contact after something like this,” Velasco said.

After learning that Velasco was one of the more than a dozen victims, the young woman's uncle gave a statement to NPR affiliate station, KPCC.

Our family appreciates the interest in Yvette. Yvette was an intelligent, motivated, and beautiful young woman, who was full of life and loved by all who knew her.

Velasco's uncle also stated that Velasco is survived by her mother, Marie, and father, Robert, as well as her three sisters.

Velasco had worked as an environmental health specialist for the county's Dept. of Public Health since 2014, the Los Angeles Times reports.

This is a developing story.