First Victims of Massacre ID'd: Health Dept Colleagues and a Father of 6 Among the Dead

[BeyondGeography]

On Wednesday, two shooters opened fire on a room full of San Bernardino County employees at a holiday party, killing 14 and wounding 21.

The shooters – identified as a married couple, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27 – were killed later on Wednesday after a shootout with police.

These are (among) their victims:

Michael Wetzel


Michael Wetzel, a father of six, worked as a supervising environmental health specialist with the county.

"Please pray. My husband was in a meeting and a shooter came in. There are multiple people dead/shot. I can't get a hold of him," his wife, Renee, wrote to the fundraising website YouCaring on Wednesday.

Eight hours later, she learned he was dead.

Nicholas Thalasinos


Nicholas Thalasinos was a co-worker of Farook's. His wife, Jennifer, confirmed his death on Facebook.

In a phone interview with The New York Times, Jennifer said her husband had spoken about Farook.

"He had worked with him," Jennifer said. "He had talked about him. Nothing negative."

Damian Meins

The wife of Damian Meins confirmed by phone to PEOPLE the 58-year-old man from Riverside, California, is one of the victims.

Meins was an employee of the San Bernardino County of Environmental Health Department and had previously worked for the County of Riverside for 28 years. He retired as an assistant planning director in 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Meins leaves behind two daughters, Tina and Tawnya, and his wife, Trenna.

Sierra Clayborn


Sierra Clayborn had been working with the county in the environmental health department since January 2013. A relative confirmed her death in Wednesday's attack to PEOPLE.

Her friends and family took to Facebook to lament her loss. "RIP Baby sis I love you more than you ever knew," her sister, Tamishia Clayborn, wrote on Facebook.

"Rest in paradise Sierra," added a friend.

http://www.people.com/article/san-bernardino-shootings-remembering-the-victims

More coverage here:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-bernardino-shooting-victims-htmlstory.html

[lpbk2713]

1. My thoughts go out to the families of the victims of this outrage.

Words can be so inadequate some times.

[Thinkingabout]

2. Hate has ended the innocent lives who have committed to helping others

In need.

[GusBob]

3. I read where Nicholas Thalasinos and Farook had a "heated discussion"

About whether Islam was a peaceful religion

[JI7]

4. considering his actions did Farook argue it was not peaceful

[smirkymonkey]

5. So incredibly sad.

Once you see the photos and read their stories, it suddenly becomes so much more real and tragic.