Tamera Mowry-Housley's Search For Missing Niece After California Shooting Ends In Tragedy

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Tamera Mowry-Housley's Search For Missing Niece After California Shooting Ends In Tragedy

Tamera Mowry-Housley/Instagram

UPDATE: 8:30 a.m - Tamera took to social media to share a heartbreaking tribute to her 18-year-old niece, revealing that she's "still in disbelief" over the loss.

Alaina. My sweet, sweet Alaina. My heart breaks. I'm still in disbelief. It's not fair how you were taken and how soon you were taken from us. I was blessed to know you ever since you were 5. You stole my heart. I will miss our inside jokes, us serenading at the piano. Thank you for being patient with me learning how to braid your hair, and I will never forget our duet singing the national anthem at Napa's soccer game. I love you. I love you. I love you. You are gonna make one gorgeous angel. My heart and prayers are with every victim of this tragedy.

UPDATE: 3:00 p.m. - Tamera has confirmed that her Alaina was identified as one of the victims of last night's tragedy. The couple released a statement via ABC News addressing their loss.

"Our hearts are broken. We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night's shooting at Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks. Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time."

Thousand Oaks Shooting

More details about the deadly mass shooting that took place Wednesday night at Borderline Bar and Grill in the California neighborhood of Thousand Oaks are finally starting to emerge.

The gunman, who died at the scene, has now been identified as Ian David Long, a 28-year-old who served in the Marine Corps.

He fired rounds at more than 100 patrons, who were attending a college country night at the popular music venue, killing 12 and injuring at least a dozen people, many of whom are students from the schools in the area.

A police officer with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, Deputy Ron Helus was one of the victims of the massacre. The 29-year veteran who was one of the first to respond to the gunshot reports.

Following the tragedy, many people took to social media in hopes of finding information about their loved ones who haven't been seen since the incident.

Among them is Tamera Mowry-Housley, Sister Sister star and host of the daytime talk show The Real, and her husband, former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley.

The couple has been frantically searching for their niece, Alaina Housley, who was inside the country-western bar when the gunfire erupted.

According to the reports, Alaina was one out of "a handful of girls who went to line dance" at Borderline and have not been accounted for.

Tamera and Adam were alerted about Alaina's disappearance through a tweet posted by the young girl's suitemate, Ashley.

"My suitemate is still missing, she is wearing denim shorts, a blue flannel and sneakers, pls let me know if you know anything," read the tweet.

Tamera responded to Ashley's tweet, informing her that she is Alaina's aunt and would like to know more about the situation.

"Ashely this is her aunt Tamera Mowry Housley. Can you please DM me your information?" the host wrote back.

Ashley revealed that she had already been in touch with Adam, and there was nothing new to report at the time.

Adam has since taken to Twitter to ask his followers for prayers for his niece, who he described as "a beautiful soul."

According to Andrea Castillo, a Los Angeles Times reporter, Adam has been to the Los Robles Regional Medical Center to look for Alaina.

"A guard didn't let him through, saying [the hospital] was on lockdown," Castillo wrote on Twitter "He said Alaina, a Pepperdine freshman, was at the bar with several friends. Her Apple Watch and iPhone still showed her location on the dance floor."

She continued, "Housley said two of Alaina's suite mates jumped through a broken window to escape and are at a hospital with major glass wounds. As they ran away from the bar, someone screamed 'Hey! Get the (expletive) down on the ground!' They told Housley they believe it was the gunman."

"But they kept running toward houses near Los Robles Greens golf course, where they got help from residents," she added.

Adam told The Times that his gut "is saying she's inside the bar, dead," but he later tweeted that he is "staying positive and praying and hoping and wishing there was more I could do."

For those in the same predicament as the Housleys, the Ventura Co. Sherrif's Department has set up an emergency hotline for those who need assistance locating their loved ones.

We're hoping and praying that Tamera and Adam's niece is found safe.

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.