Vincent Jerome Kapoi Jr. was 30 when he was killed in a mass shooting at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Honolulu on December 4, 2019. Kapoi worked as a metals inspector apprentice at the shipyard and was also a licensed insurance agent who had started a podcast on financial management. He graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 2007 and earned a bachelor’s degree in business entrepreneurship from the University of San Francisco in 2011. He married his wife, Tara, in April 2019 and was remembered by his sister Theona as easy-going and fun-loving; a celebration of his life was held December 15, 2019, at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Memorial Chapel.

The attack happened near Dry Dock 2 and unfolded in about 23 seconds when Gabriel Romero, a 22-year-old sailor assigned to the submarine USS Columbia who was providing security, opened fire with a rifle and a pistol, killing Kapoi and another civilian worker, Roldan Agustin, and wounding a third person. Romero then took his own life. Reports said Romero had been unhappy with commanders and was undergoing counseling; the motive remains unclear.

If anyone who worked at the shipyard or knew Vincent has additional memories or information, please share them.