Their jobs were to keep their friends and neighbors healthy. They died together on Wednesday, shot at an office holiday party, allegedly by a co-worker.
Twelve of the fourteen victims were San Bernardino County employees, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said at a press conference Thursday evening.
Many of those killed in the assault on the Inland Regional Center worked for the health department, making their living inspecting restaurants, pools, water treatment systems and other public facilities.
Here are some of their stories:
Michael Raymond Wetzel
Michael Raymond Wetzel, was a 37-year-old father of six who supervised a team of health inspectors in the county Environmental Health Services division.
His death was first confirmed by his church, Church of the Woods in nearby Lake Arrowhead.
His wife, Renee Wetzel, said she didn’t know a better person.
“He loved his work and his family so very much,” she said in a statementposted online. “Without him, this family will never be the same.”
Nicholas Thalasinos
Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, a longtime inspector, was also among the dead, his wife told NBC News.
Jennifer Thalasinos said her husband was a devout Messianic Jew and very outspoken politically. She said she considered him a martyr for his faith.
She and Nicholas had recently renewed their marriage vows, according to The Associated Press.
“He was a wonderful person,” Joey Shimoni, a friend of Thalasinos, told the AP. “A great husband and just a sweet soul.”
Damian Meins
Also gunned down was health inspector Damian Meins, a married 58-year-old father of two.
His death was being mourned at St. Catherine School of Alexandria in Riverside, where he worked as an aftercare director and where his daughter is a teacher. The school held a service in his honor on Thursday.
His daughter, Tina M. Meins, told theOrange County Register that her father came out of retirement in September to work for the San Bernardino County of Environmental Health Services. He worked alongside suspected shooter Syed Rizwan Farook.
Sierra Clayborn
Sierra Clayborn, 27, was a recent addition to the team of county inspectors. She was confirmed dead by her sister, Tamishia Clayborn, who spoke to local NBC affiliate KNBC.
Mary Hale, who managed the property where Clayborn lived with her boyfriend, said she was “someone special.”
“She was such a beautiful person. Absolute sweetheart,” she said sobbing.
Hale said the last time she spoke to Clayborn was last Wednesday, when she came to wish Hale a Happy Thanksgiving before going to spend it with her family.
“Boy, the world’s missing out on someone special,” she said.
The county workers had gathered Wednesday morning in the Inland Regional Center for a holiday luncheon. One of their fellow inspectors, Farook, was among the group. He left in the middle of the party and returned a little while later with his wife and started shooting, authorities said. The couple fled the scene but were killed in a confrontation with police that evening.
Daniel Kaufman
Daniel Kaufman, 42, trained developmentally disabled employees at the Inland Regional Center’s coffee shop, his boyfriend, Ryan Reyes, told NBC News.
Reyes said that he initially was told that Kaufman had been shot but survived. But on Thursday officials said he was dead.
“Everyone in my family is devastated,” Kaufman’s uncle, Gregory Johnson, told NBC News. “Daniel was a good person that we all loved. “
Harry Bowman
Harry Bowman, 46, of Upland, was a father of two daughters, ages 11 and 15, family member Bill Kraft told the Los Angeles Times.
“Death at its best is hard to take. This type of death is extremely hard to take, especially when you have young children,” Kraft, of Aurora, Ill., said. “There is no way you are going to make them understand.”
Bennetta Betbadal
Benneta Betbadal, 46, of Rialto, fled Iran when she was just 18 to escape Islamic extremism and the persecution of Christians, her family said in a statement announcing a memorial fund.
“Benneta left the house Wednesday morning, excited about a presentation she was scheduled to give to her supervisors and coworkers at their annual meeting,” the statement said. “It is the ultimate irony that her life would be stolen from her that day by what appears to be the same type of extremism that she fled so many years ago.”
Isaac Amanios
New York Giants safety Nat Berhe said in a post on Twitter that Isaac Amanois,60, was his cousin.
“Just got word that one of my cousins was among the 14 killed yesterday, I’m so sick right now,” he said in a post earlier Thursday.
“My cousin’s name is Isaac Amanios and he was a great human being,” he said in another post after the coroner’s list was released. “Thoughts and prayers are with my family back in CA.”
Robert Adams
Robert Adams, 40, of Yucaipa, was “a devoted father” to his 20-month-old baby Savannah and an Environmental Health Specialist with the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, according to a statement from the agency.
“Robert always wanted to be a father and for the past 20-months, he was a devoted father to Savannah and cherished every moment with her,” the statement said.
“All day we waited for news that he was safely coming home to his beautiful wife Summer and his absolutely precious daughter, Savannah,” read a post on a memorial fund for the Adams family that was started by a friend of Robert’s wife. “It is now confirmed this will not be happening.”
Tin Nguyen
Tin Nguyen, 31, was a food inspector with the county health department, according to the Orange County Register. She stopped by the morning meeting at the Inland Regional Center on Wednesday, her cousin Calvin Nguyen told USA Today. Her mother tried to call her on Wednesday night after hearing news that Nguyen was inside the building that had been attacked, her cousin said. “Her mom tried to call, and all people tried to call, but no answer,” Calvin told the newspaper. “She was very intelligent, a good girl, takes care of mom and family,” he said. Juan Espinoza Juan Espinoza, 50, of Highland, worked as a health inspector for the health department of San Bernardino, his daughter Jerusalem told the Los Angeles Times. He is survived by his wife, Sandra, 47; daughter, Jerusalem, 25; and son, Jonathan, 13, the Orange County Register reported. Aurora Godoy Aurora Godoy, a 26-year-old mother-of-one from San Jacinto, was described as “bubbly” and “loving and giving” by family members. Godoy and her high-school sweetheart husband, James Godoy, had a 22-month-old son named Alexander, James Godoy’s cousin, Eric Godoy, told NBC News. “She loved her family. She loved her son,” Eric’s wife, Mary, added. A crowdfunding page set up by James’ sister said Aurora Godoy was “always willing to help all of her loved ones” and that “she loved to bake and cook.” “She was really creative and was always willing to help with birthday parties and functions,” according to the page, which was established to raise money for the newly bereaved father. “She loved spending time at Disneyland with her family. We will miss her bubbly personality, always smiling, and her funny way of saying hello.” “Aurora was always happy and we will truly miss her energy,” it added. Shannon Johnson Shannon Johnson was a 45-year-old from the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, according to a statement from Mayor Eric Garcetti. Garcetti described Johnson as “one of our own” and said he “rose before dawn each morning to get to his job as a San Bernardino County health inspector.” He lived with his girlfriend, Mandy Pfifer, who is a longtime member of the Mayor’s crisis response team. “We offer our full support to Mandy in this unimaginably difficult time, and I send my deepest condolences to Shannon’s family and all who are grieving loved ones in the aftermath of this senseless tragedy,” the mayor’s statement said. Yvette Velasco Yvette Velasco, 27, of Fontana, was remembered by her family as an “intelligent, motivated, and beautiful young woman.” She “was full of life and loved by all who knew her,” her family said in a statement to Telemundo. Velasco is survived by her parents, Robert and Marie Velasco, and her three sisters, Adriana, Erica and Genevieve. Another 21 people were hit by gunfire and lived. One of those injured, food inspector Patrick Baccari, happened to be in the bathroom when the attack began. He recalled standing at the paper towel dispenser when the gun blasts punched the wall in front of him, sending a puff of drywall dust into his face. After realizing what was happening, Baccari, a retired Air Force Reserves medic, hit the floor; he and another man held the door closed with their feet until police arrived. “That may have saved me,” Baccari said. Later, Baccari was shocked when he found out who the accused gunman was; he and Farook shared an office cubicle and had sat at the same table at the party earlier that morning. Another survivor, Kevin Ortiz, a 24-year-old health inspector who’d recently married, was shot three times but was able to call his wife and father, telling them that he loved them, they told the Los Angeles Times. Denise Paraza, 27, also managed to call her family despite being shot. She told them she’d ducked under a table when the gunfire started and ended up getting hit in the back, the relatives told the Los Angeles Times. From the floor of shooting scene, she texted her family: “Love you guys. Was shot.” She was recovering in the hospital with a shattered pelvis, the children said. This story will be updated as NBC News learns more about the lives lost in San Bernardino. Additional reporting by ERIN CALABRESE. This article first appeared at NBCNews.com.
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