On Saturday night, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran barged into the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, a predominantly Asian American city in California, killing at least 10 people and leaving 10 others injured. Amongst the deceased was 68-year-old Valentino Alvero, who his family has described as a “loving” and “dedicated” grandfather who loved to dance.

Who was Valentino Alvero?

Valentino Alvero was a US citizen of Filipino descent. He loved his community and enjoyed ballroom dancing. Alvero also enjoyed listening to other people’s stories and would also share his stories with a lot of enthusiasm.

In a statement, Alvero’s family said, “He loved people and hearing about their lives, and in return, he shared his own stories with so much gusto and enthusiasm that you couldn’t help but listen and laugh along with him.”

He was a devout Catholic and a loving grandfather, father, and son.

He was “a loving father, a dedicated son, and brother, a grandfather who loved his three granddaughters fiercely, an uncle who loved his nieces and nephews like his own,” the family added, Rappler reported.

They added that Alvero was also “the life of any party.”

“My dad loved God, he loved people, and he loved to dance. I hope he’s dancing now, in that great gig in the sky,” Alvero’s daughter, Kristenne Alvero, told Rolling Stone.

The family also offered condolences to other victims and their families over this “heart-shattering and life-altering” tragedy.

“Overnight, we became unwilling members of a community who has to mourn the loss of our loved ones due to gun violence. We are left frustrated, stuck with this vicious cycle,” the family said in the statement.