2 Montgomery County Navy Yard Victims Called 'Kind,' 'Always Smiling'

The family of Vishnu Pandit, a North Potomac man among the 12 slain in Monday’s Navy Yard shootings, reportedly described him as a “kind and gentle man” who loved his friends, family and his dog.

In a statement, the family told NBC news that Pandit came to the United States from India in the 1970s and that he worked as a civilian for the U.S. Navy for more than 25 years.

A neighbor told The Washington Post that Pandit and his wife had lived in their North Potomac neighborhood for at least 20 years. He was a marine engineer and architect who liked for people to call him “Kisan,” a friend of the family told local NBC affiliate WBAL TV.

John Roger Johnson, 73, also lost his life Monday. Johnson lived in his Derwood neighborhood for 30 years, a neighbor told The Washington Post.

He was described as “always smiling,” a man who loved children—an ideal neighbor, according to The Post’s profile of the victims.

Five Maryland residents were among the seven initially identified as victims: Sylvia Frasier, 53, of Charles County; Kenneth Bernard Proctor, 46, of Charles County; and Frank Kohler, 50, of St. Mary’s County.

Former Maryland State Police officer Richard Michael Ridgell, 52, of Westminster, was later identified as a victim. 

The presumed shooter, Aaron Alexis, 34, of Fort Worth, died in a shoot out with police. The investigation has been turned over to the FBI.