1st San Bernardino victim to be laid to rest
COVINA, Calif. -- A funeral service will be held in Covina Thursday for Yvette Velasco, one of 14 victims of the San Bernardino terror attack.
Velasco, 27, was attending a holiday luncheon on Dec. 2 when Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik barged into the conference room of the Inland Regional Center and opened fire, killing 14 people and injuring 21 others.
The FBI is now investigating the shooting as an "act of terrorism."
The victim was due to receive a gold badge officially recognizing her as a San Bernardino County health inspector. She had just passed an exam to become a state-registered environmental health specialist after working her way up the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health for the past five years.
VIDEO: San Bernardino County employees return to work after shooting
Velasco will be remembered at an outdoor funeral ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Covina. Her three older sisters and parents say they chose that particular spot because of how much she loved nature.
They described her as smart, motivated and full of life.
The service for Velasco begins at 2 p.m., and marks the first of many funerals, memorial services and burials for these victims.
VIDEO: What we know about the victims of the San Bernardino attack
Click here for full coverage on the deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino.
