Navy Identifies 2 Victims in Pearl Harbor Shipyard Shooting

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Receiving a folded flag during a funeral service. (Staff Sgt. Jamarius Fortson/U.S. Army photo)
Receiving a folded flag during a funeral service. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jamarius Fortson)

The Navy has released the identities of two Defense Department civilian workers gunned down by an enlisted sailor at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on Wednesday afternoon.

Killed in the shooting were Vincent J. Kapoi, a metals inspector apprentice at the shipyard, and Roldan A. Agustin, a shop planner (nondestructive testing), who also worked there. Both were Hawaii natives.

The sailor who killed them in a shooting that left another worker wounded was Machinist's Mate Auxiliary Fireman Gabriel Antonio Romero, 22, of Texas, officials with Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam said Friday. Romero was assigned to the Los Angeles-class attack submarine Columbia, in dry dock maintenance at the shipyard.

Related: Three Dead, One Injured After Sailor Opens Fire at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard

In a press conference held Friday afternoon, military and legal officials overseeing the investigation into the tragic incident said Romero had been armed for watchstander duty at the shipyard's Dry Dock 2. In the span of 23 seconds, according to witness testimony, he shot the three workers and then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life.

Romero's third victim, who was not identified, remains in stable condition at a local hospital.

Officials with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and local law enforcement are participating in an ongoing investigation. While it has been reported that Romero faced administrative punishment and was unhappy with his commanders at the time of the shooting, no motive has been confirmed.

Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick, the base commander, would not discuss why Romero might have been issued a weapon in light of his disciplinary issues and the fact he was undergoing counseling.

"That's all part of the investigation that's going on right now," he said. "Every aspect of that is being looked at; that's something we're going to be looking at from all angles."

Workers returned to the shipyard Friday as the facility's security remains under evaluation, Chadwick said.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

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