Officials at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, have identified the airman who was killed, along with his wife, in a shooting incident Saturday evening at a military housing complex.
The dead airman, Tech. Sgt. Zachary Firlik, an assistant flight chief in the 55th Security Forces Squadron, was a 17-year veteran of the service and had arrived at the base April 25, according to a base public affairs spokesman.
Offutt officials would not identify Firlik’s wife, but his Facebook page identifies her as Kari Lauren Firlik and notes that the two had been married Aug. 11.
The couple’s bodies were found at 8:15 p.m. Saturday by law enforcement officials who had been called to their home in the Rising View privatized housing complex just west of the base.
Zachary Firlik was a native of Sacramento, California, according to his Facebook page, and attended San Juan High School in Citrus Heights. He joined the Air Force June 26, 2002. His decorations include two Air Force Commendation medals and one Air Force Achievement Medal, according to the Air Force Personnel Center.
His wife was an artist who shared her creations at events, art shows and with subscribers to her Facebook page.
At Travis Air Force Base, where the couple had been stationed prior to arriving at Offutt, Kari Firlik took part in art shows and hosted “instructional paint night” events where she provided art supplies and step-by-step instructions to small gatherings, according to her Facebook page.
