Sosaia Finau, the 21-year-old man who died in a shooting Thursday in Anchorage, liked playing guitar and football and was often helping people, his father said.
"He was a lovely son and I'm proud of him all the time," said his father, also named Sosaia Finau. "You'd ask him to do something and he'd do it. … He was a good boy."
Finau went to East High School, where he played football, and then joined the military academy in Anchorage, his dad said. Then he decided to take a job at AAA Moving & Storage in town to help his dad with the work there.
He'd also just returned in recent weeks from working on a crabbing boat out of Dutch Harbor, his dad said.
Our prayers and thoughts go out to family and friends of #23 Sosaia Finau. Sosaia passed away yesterday at fault of a...
Posted by Eagle River Broncos on Friday, April 13, 2018
Finau lived with his parents and siblings in Anchorage. The family is originally from Maui.
[Police: Mountain View homicide victim, 21, was shot by girlfriend's ex amid argument]
Finau was killed Thursday in an apartment complex in the Mountain View neighborhood. Anchorage police say he was shot multiple times by his girlfriend's ex and another person amid an argument that Finau "stepped in to quell," according to charging documents in the case.
Police are still looking for the suspects, 19-year-old Mickee Thompson and 18-year-old Robert Smith. They face charges of murder and evidence tampering.
Upon hearing about Finau's death, friends and family paid tribute on Twitter, posting photos and memories under the hashtag #JusticeForSaia, his nickname.
A Facebook video on his page from a few months ago shows Finau strumming guitar and singing while a friend played tambourine and bongo. Finau also apparently played for the Eagle River Broncos football team, where he wore jersey No. 23.
"We will miss you brother always and forever," a post on the team's Facebook page said Friday. "You were taken too soon."
Police are looking to speak with anyone who has information about the suspects.