The 78th anniversary commemoration of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor will continue in Hawaii as planned, undeterred by a shooting at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard that left three dead on Wednesday.
The Pearl Harbor National Memorial was closed on Wednesday after a 22-year-old sailor identified as “G. Romero” killed two civilian Department of Defense employees and injured a third before shooting himself. Saturday’s events will proceed on schedule, according to Pearl Harbor National Memorial officials.
“The events scheduled for the 78th Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day will continue as planned,” memorial spokeswoman Emily Pruett told the Washington Examiner.
The memorial temporarily closed when the shipyard went under lockdown on Wednesday afternoon, though it reopened the next day, spokesman Jay Blount told the Washington Examiner. Only 150 of the daily 4,300 visitors were not able to visit the memorial as a result of the attack. Blount confirmed that none of the dignitaries or officials expected to attend the commemoration have canceled as a result of the shooting.
Romero reportedly was assigned to the USS Columbia, an attack submarine docked at Pearl Harbor for repairs. He opened fire on his victims with his service weapons, which included an M4 rifle and an M9 pistol. His motive remains unknown.
The three victims of the attack were members of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 121. IFPTE expressed its condolences for their families in a statement on Thursday.
“It is with great sadness that we report that two of the three workers have passed away, while the third worker remains hospitalized,” the union said. “These victims are not only dedicated IFPTE union members, they are hard-working public servants who go to work each day to serve the taxpayers and our military forces. They are reflective of the thousands of workers at Pearl Harbor and elsewhere that go to work to earn a living and serve their nation.”
“Obviously our thoughts are with the families of the victims and everyone involved,” Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick, commander of Navy Region Hawaii, said in a statement to the press on Wednesday.
