When Luis Tovar died in a mass shooting Wednesday, March 31, his children and grandchildren lost “the backbone of our entire family,” said daughter Vania Tovar.
“Our world is shattered,” she said Thursday.
Luis Tovar, 50, left behind five children and six grandchildren — and a reputation for kindness, humor and strength.
“My dad was the most amazing dad and grandfather,” Vania Tovar, 28, said. “He supported every single one of us in a time of need.”
Authorities on Thursday confirmed that one man, two women and a 9-year-old boy died in the shooting, which took place at an Orange business complex where Luis Tovar worked. Another woman and the suspect, a 44-year-old Fullerton man, remained hospitalized in “critical but stable” condition.
Police have not released names of the victims.
Luis Tovar and his wife, Karla Reynoso-Tovar, owned Unified Homes, a real estate company that sells manufactured homes.
“They are an amazing power couple,” Vania Tovar said. “Karla is a very hardworking mother. She ran the real estate side, and he ran construction side.”
Vania Tovar said that her father and stepmother recently wed after a long relationship.
“They were happily married and happily together for the time they’ve been together,” Vania Tovar said. “There have never been any issues. We love Karla.”
Her family is not related to the boy who died, Vania Tovar said.
Luis Tovar graduated from Anaheim High, reportedly in 1990. He was popular enough to be elected prom king.
“He was extremely outgoing, but serious when he needed to be,” he daughter said. “He was hilarious. He was everything.”
Luis Tovar stayed in Anaheim and raised his own children there.
“He was very active in sports with us our entire lives.” Vania Tovar said. “My dad was a soccer coach when we were younger… (He) coached me and my two sisters.”
One of her sisters, Jenevieve Raygoza, 28, was at the office complex at the time of the shooting. As of Thursday evening, her family did not have information about her.
“We are getting the same news at the same time as the world,” Vania Tovar said. “Not one cop has come to our home to notify us.”
Vania Tovar said Raygoza has two young children and is devoted to her family.
“She was the most selfless woman, who cared so deeply for everyone else. The most important thing in the world to her were her children. Everything in her life was done for her husband and children.”
Vania Tovar also has two children, a 5-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son. She has not told her daughter about the tragedy.
The waiting, she said, is agonizing.
“The only way to calm myself is to take deep breaths. We’re surrounded by loved ones right now. It’s coming in waves. We’re out of tears. We don’t know what to do.”