A UST Education High School (EHS) alumnus was among the 11 people killed on Saturday, Jan. 21, in a shooting incident at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California.
Valentino Alvero, 68, was one of the identified victims in the Monterey Park shooting, the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles confirmed in an interview with DZBB on Jan. 24.
Alvero, a US citizen of Filipino descent, graduated from UST EHS in 1972.
In a statement, the Alvero family remembered Valentino as “a loving father, a dedicated son and brother, a grandfather who loved his three granddaughters fiercely, an uncle who loved his nieces and nephews like his own.”
“We became unwilling members of a community who has to mourn the loss of our loved ones due to gun violence,” the family said.
The family also asked for prayers for Valentino, a “faithful servant of God.”
The shooting, which ensued during the Lunar New Year celebration at the dance studio, left nine others injured.
Los Angeles police identified the suspect as Huu Can Tran, 72, a former patron at the dance studio.
Tran tried to attack another dance hall in Alhambra the same night but failed after a front-desk employee of the dance studio stopped him.
Tran was found dead the following day of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said the motive behind the shooting remained unclear.
