San Bernardino shooting victim was Pa. native

Harry "Hal" Bowman was a dedicated Catholic who taught religion classes. A runner as a youth, he still loved to hike and wander around outdoors.

At high school near York, Pa., he ran cross-country, competed on the debate team, and was a top-notch student.

On Wednesday, the 46-year-old father of two daughters was one of the 14 victims in the San Bernardino, Calif., mass shooting.

"This is a tragic loss for our family, much like it is for all families around the world who have experienced this kind of violence," Bowman's family said in a statement Friday. "There are no words that express our sadness in losing such a special person. We can only hope that these senseless killings cease to occur."

Bowman graduated from Dallastown Area High School in 1987, according to Ronald Dyer, superintendent of the Dallastown Area School District. The school is about 10 miles southeast of York.

"We were shocked to hear about the loss of our student," Dyer said Friday.

Bowman graduated second in his class of 346 students. He was also a member of the National Honor Society.

"He was a contributing member of the class," Dyer said.

Bowman's mother, Marion, told the Los Angeles Times that her son moved to California for work more than 15 years ago.

Gov. Wolf said Friday he was sad to hear a Pennsylvania native was among the dead.

"On behalf of all Pennsylvanians . . . I extend our deepest condolences to the Bowman family and all of our fellow York County residents [who] knew him," Wolf said in a statement.

Bowman lived in Upland, Calif., and neighbors at his apartment complex told the Times they did not know much about him. One neighbor said he saw Bowman teach one of his daughters how to swim at the pool.

The Times also reported that a package addressed to "Hal" was left Thursday night on a concrete landing outside Bowman's apartment door. Bowman's mother told the Times it was Christmas presents.

The Riverside Press Enterprise reported that Bowman was a statistical analyst for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health's Division of Environmental Health Services and had been working for the division only since September.

The tragedy also hit close to home in South Jersey, as another of those slain, Nicholas Thalasinos, worked as an environmental health inspector in Cape May County for 12 years.

Police say a couple killed 14 people and wounded 21 in the Wednesday shooting inside the Inland Regional Center, where county employees were having a holiday party. The suspects were killed in a shootout with police.

mbond@philly.com

610-313-8207@MichaelleBond