Tamera Mowry-Housley Breaks Silence On Niece Shooting & Death In 2018

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In 2018, Tamera Mowry-Housley lost her niece in a California mass shooting.

The “Sister Sister” actress recently opened up about the unfortunate incident and disclosed that her family is starting a foundation in her niece’s name, seeking to bring more love and unity to the world.

In October, Mowry-Housley shared a throwback photo of her niece, Alaina, with a heart-wrenching caption of how the family misses her but is taking solace in the fact that she is in a better place. In November, she posted a video clip of Alaina in remembrance. She revealed that she would sometimes loop her live photos to get a glimpse of Alaina’s smile.

On her reality TV show, called “The Housley Life,” the actress dedicated an episode to her niece. She also sent her prayers and warm wishes to people affected by gun violence in the past.

In 2019, the “Christmas Comes Twice” actress opened up on “The Real” and shared that the anniversary of her niece’s death was tough as her grandmother also passed barely two months after Alaina’s untimely demise.

On the talk show, Mowry-Housley shared that losing two close family members in a short amount of time taught her not to take life and the people around her for granted.

She passed a message to her listeners and advised them to live life to the fullest, cherishing the precious moments and letting go of all worries.

She concluded by saying she has learned the act of letting only positive people stay around her, as life is too short to hold on to worries and negativities.

Alaina Housley was the youngest of the twelve victims of the mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, in 2018. The shooter also killed himself after committing the gruesome act.

As reported by “Mediaite,” Alaina was an 18-year-old fresh high school graduate from Vintage High, where her mother, Hannah, taught as a teacher.

She was also a freshman at Pepperdine University. Alaina was with 20 other Pepperdine students at the bar during the shooting. For a while after the incident, Alaina’s whereabouts were unknown, and her iPhone tracing showed her last location as at the Borderline Bar.

According to Andrea Castillo of LA Times, two of her friends who escaped through a broken window said they lost Alaina in the chaos.

Alaina’s father is Arik Housley, the brother of Tamera Mowry-Housley’s husband, Adam. Adam went to the hospital in frantic search of his niece but was denied access due to lockdown protocol.

Adam, a reporter, who has reported on many mass shootings, admitted to Los Angeles Times, that he always thought it would never happen to him.

As reported by “Pepperdine Graphic,” Alaina’s gun-related demise prompted her parents, Hannah, and Arik to start a foundation named “Alaina’s Voice” in her honor. Arik explained the foundation’s aim and said its mission is to encourage kindness in everyone with not just words but actions.