News

Who Was Daniel Kaufman?

by Seth Millstein

The horrific shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernadino on Wednesday claimed 14 lives, and another one of the victims has just been identified: Daniel Kaufman, the manager of a coffee shop at the Inland Regional Center. According to the Los Angeles Times, Kaufman's boyfriend, Ryan Reyes, was informed Thursday morning that his partner was among the deceased. Kaufman was 42 years old and lived in Rialto, California, according to The Press Enterprise.

Kaufman grew up in nearby Pasadena and was adopted by his aunt and uncle after his parents died. He and Reyes both lived in Rialto, had been together for three years, and rode together every day to work. Reyes tells the Times that Kaufman was a gregarious free spirit who struck up conversations with "everybody he met"; that included checkout clerks, which often held up the lines at grocery stores. Kaufman didn't have a driver's license, and didn't have any intention of getting one, as he enjoyed his rides to and from work with Reyes.

"Daniel spoke to me about books and told me he didn't like books with sad endings," wrote friend Sara York in a Facebook post reprinted by Inside Edition. "I hope that Daniel had enough happy endings to brighten his life that was cut short way too soon. RIP Daniel. I pray for your family and boyfriend, that they can find some happiness in the future."

In what must have been a hellish experience, Reyes was initially informed that Kaufman had been shot in the arm but had survived the shooting. This third-hand report came to Reyes via Facebook; it had been relayed to his cousin by the girlfriend of one of Kaufman's clients. Reyes' uncle later received a similar story from somebody who worked at the center. Sadly, this was incorrect, and Kaufman's aunt informed Reyes that Kaufman was dead on Thursday morning.