The families of two of the victims killed in Friday’s hostage standoff at a Yountville veterans home broke their silence Monday.
Dr. Jennifer Golick’s heartbroken mother and husband shared their grief over losing their loved one at the hands of a veteran Golick and others had been trying to help.
Lani Gray, Golick’s mother, said she feels sadness throughout her entire body.
"I woke up yesterday morning crying in my sleep, and when I got up, I was still crying," Gray said. "I’m still crying inside and will be forever."
On Friday, Albert Wong, 36, slipped into a going-away party for two employees of The Pathway Home then let some people leave, but kept three women: Golick, 42; Executive Director Christine Loeber, 48; and Dr. Jennifer Gonzales Shushereba, 32, a clinical psychologist with the San Francisco Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.
Wong and the three women were later found dead inside the building.
Golick's husband Marc said she was a beloved mother, sister, daughter and friend.
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"She is missed terribly," he said.
Jennifer Gonzales’s family said they too are struggling to keep it together. Not only did they lose Gonzales, but they lost another family member as the 32-year-old was seven months pregnant.
"We had so much ahead of us," Gonzales's husband, TJ Shushereba, said. "We were expecting our first child in June."
He added that Gonzales had a huge heart and a passion for life.
"Talk about Haley’s Comet, she was the light that brightened up the room, every time she walked into a room," he said. "Steals my heart every day."
Shushereba and Gonzales's father, Mike Gonzales, say they choose not to be angry. Instead they want to spread awareness to the needs of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress.
"While we deeply hate the actions of Albert Wong, I think Jennifer would want us not to hate the person, but would want us to be understanding," Mike Gonzales said. "This man had a problem and was sick."
Gonzales's passion about life actually started in the South Bay, where she graduated from Saint Francis High School in 2003. The school’s drama director Laura Rose released a statement Monday, saying Gonzales’s life was cut far too short.
"Jennifer had so much more good to do in the world and love to share with her family, friends and those she served," Rose said.
NBC Bay Area's Cheryl Hurd contributed to this report.
