Darlene Proxmire, the step-grandmother of Randall Smith, called NewsChannel 15 Saturday morning and said he passed away around 4 a.m. 
 
 This is an update to the previously published story: 
 
 PAULDING COUNTY, Ohio (WANE) One of the victims of Thursday’s mass shooting at a pair of Chattanooga, Tennessee military centers was originally from Paulding, Ohio. 
 
 Randall Smith was one of the two service members wounded in the barrage of gunfire from 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez that claimed the lives of four Marines in two separate shootings Thursday morning, according to a story posted on the web site of KWCH Eyewitness News 12, the CBS affiliate in Wichita, Kansas. Smith was serving in Chattanooga as a logistics specialist in the U.S. Navy at the time of the shooting. The article indicated his mother now lives in Delphos, Kansas, which is how the station learned of his identity. His step-grandparents live just north of Paulding, Ohio. 
 
 His step-grandmother, Darlene Proxmire, told NewsChannel 15 Smith was a great baseball player and even got a scholarship to play in college. She said he hurt his shoulder and joined the Navy shortly after. Proxmire said she first heard about the shooting when a friend left her a voicemail. 
 
 “I immediately turned it on CNN and wow it was awful,” Proxmire said. 
 
 Smith’s mother is in Chattanooga with him. 
 
 “It’s hard to understand how somebody can hurt somebody that’s serving for you. For your freedom, for your safety,” Paula Proxmire said. 
 
 Proxmire said Smith has extensive damage to his liver and colon. He immediately underwent surgery at the hospital and Proxmire said he’s had a few more. Badly injured, Proxmire said he was able to communicate to his wife. 
 
 “When he came out he finally responded to them and he gave his wife a thumbs up,” Proxmire said. 
 
 Proxmire said she never worried about Smith joining the military. 
 
 “Because he was never shipped over there where, you know, the fighting and all that was at,” Proxmire said. “He loved the Navy. He loved it in there.” 
 
 It was on U-.S. soil when the unthinkable happened. 
 
 “It’s terrible,” Proxmire said. “You think oh that’s not going to happen to your family, but by gum it can. It can happen anywhere.” 
 
 Abdulazeez, a Kuwait-born engineer, was killed after spraying dozens of bullets first at a military recruiting center then a Navy-Marine training center seven miles away. The attacks were over within a half-hour. 
 
 A GoFundMe account has been set up for Smith and his wife and children at gofundme.com/chattanoogatn, which will be used to support medical, transportation, housing and needs of the family, it says. As of Saturday morning, the link no longer worked. ||||| BREAKING: Eyewitness News has confirmed Randall Smith, a victim in the Chattanooga shooting, passed away early Saturday morning. 
 
 Smith's mother, Darlene Proxmire, confirmed the update on her facebook page. 
 
 Smith has ties to Kansas. Some of his family lives in Delphos, Kansas, a town just north of Minneapolis. 
 
 Hours after being shot in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith was in the fight for his life. 
 
 
 
 "When he came out he finally responded to them and he gave his wife a thumbs up," said Darlene Proxmire, Smith's step-grandmother. 
 
 
 
 Navy personnel said complications from his injuries killed the 26 year-old sailor early Saturday morning. 
 
 
 
 "It's terrible," Proxmire said. "You think oh that's not going to happen to your family, but by gum it can. It can happen anywhere." 
 
 
 
 Smith grew up in Paulding, Ohio and joined the military after college. 
 
 
 
 His little-league baseball coach, Greg Reinhart remembers his as a stand-out player on the team. 
 
 
 
 "Randall was a loving kid. Full of fun. Loved his wife and kids, loved his family and loved his community," Reinhart said. 
 
 
 
 "It's just hard to understand why someone hurt somebody that's serving for you, for your freedom, for your safety. It's just unbelievable. I can't understand how someone could do this," Paula Proxmire said. 
 
 Smith was a sailor and was serving in Chattanooga at the time of the shooting. He was shot three times while trying to warn others about the attack. He was originally taken to the hospital in critical condition where he succumbed to those injuries on Saturday. 
 
 We're still working on gathering the latest information. Look for updates on Eyewitness News Saturday Morning starting at 8:00 a.m. ||||| Several bullet holes can be seen in the windows of the Armed Forces Recruitment Center on Thursday, July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 MINNEAPOLIS (Tribune News Service) — While the media, military and law enforcement were sorting out details from the Thursday morning shooting in Chattanooga, Tenn., family members of one of the victims, who has ties to Kansas, were praying and rushing to be at his side. 
 
 Paula Proxmire, who lives in Ottawa County, received word Thursday morning that her son, Randall Smith, 26, a logistics specialist in the U.S. Navy, suffered three gunshot wounds during the incident in Chattanooga. He underwent surgery Thursday afternoon, said Tania Daugherty, of Minneapolis, Proxmire’s cousin. 
 
 Daugherty was informed by her aunt, Linda Wallace, who lives in Texas. 
 
 “When my aunt called me, she said, ‘Pray,’ because they called Randall’s wife and said, ‘Bring your pastor,’ “Daugherty said. 
 
 She was given permission by the family to talk to the Journal. 
 
 “It happened about 10:30 (Thursday) morning. Two different facilities were hit,” she said. 
 
 Proxmire, her father, Jack Merrill, who lives near Minneapolis, and her sister, Roxana Blair, of Kansas City, were on their way to Chattanooga. 
 
 At midafternoon, Daugherty said Randall Smith was “still in the operating room and in critical condition.” 
 
 At 5 p.m., she was updated by Smith’s mom, who was called by the hospital. At that time, Randall Smith was out of surgery and being taken to the trauma intensive care unit, Daugherty wrote in a text message. 
 
 “They said his wounds are very extensive, more surgeries to come,” she wrote. “They said they hit his liver and colon.” 
 
 Daugherty wrote that her cousin was on a ventilator and had been given 150 units of blood. 
 
 “They were not sure he will make it through the night,” Daugherty said. “He’s still fighting hard.” 
 
 Smith and his wife, Angie Smith, have three daughters age 6 and younger, Daugherty said. She hasn’t seen Randall Smith since he was approximately 10. Randall Smith lived in Ohio until he entered the service. 
 
 “He had just re-enlisted and got transferred (to Chattanooga),” Daugherty said. “I don’t see him often. It’s been a while since he was back in Kansas.” 
 
 She has remained close with Randall’s mom and is praying for his recovery. 
 
 “I found out he was shot once under the right arm, once in the stomach and once in the back,” Daugherty said. “I was shocked.” 
 
 Early reports from Chatannooga were troubling, because they read only that four Marines were killed. 
 
 “It doesn’t say there is anyone still alive. People are calling me, asking me if my cousin’s dead,” Daugherty said. “At this point, he’s still alive.” 
 
 tunruh@salina.com 
 
 ©2015 The Salina Journal (Salina, Kan.) 
 
 Visit The Salina Journal (Salina, Kan.) at www.saljournal.com 
 
 Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ||||| CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Twenty Marines and two Navy corpsman were in the middle of an otherwise mundane task, just checking their equipment after a training mission, when the silver Mustang convertible came barreling through the gates of the reserve center on the banks of the Tennessee River. 
 
 Maj. Gen. Paul W. Brier, commander of the 4th Marine Division, speaks at a news conference in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Wednesday, July 22, 2015, about the shootings that left four Marines and one sailor... (Associated Press) 
 
 FBI Special Agent in Charge Ed Reinhold speaks at a news conference in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Wednesday, July 22, 2015, about the shootings that left four Marines and one sailor dead. Investigators said... (Associated Press) 
 
 FBI Special Agent in Charge Ed Reinhold speaks at a news conference in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Wednesday, July 22, 2015, about the shootings that left four Marines one sailor dead. Investigators said they... (Associated Press) 
 
 Rear Adm. Mary M. Jackson, the commander of the Navy Southeast Region, speaks at a news conference in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Wednesday, July 22, 2015, about the shootings that left four Marines one sailor... (Associated Press) 
 
 The driver blasted his way through that facility for the next three to five minutes, officials said during a Wednesday news conference that provided the most complete account yet of how four Marines and a sailor were killed. The shooter's motives remain unclear to investigators, even nearly a week later. 
 
 Muhammad Abdulazeez made his first stop at a military recruiting office about 7 miles away, sending recruiters there scrambling for cover from the hail of gunfire that left the front windows pocked with bullet holes. Abdulazeez never left the driver's seat, staying only briefly before moving to his next target. 
 
 After plowing his rented car through the gates, and with Chattanooga Police chasing close behind, the gunman got out of the car and stormed into the building. He was ready for a shootout: Abdulazeez wore a vest with extra ammunition. One gun was found in his vehicle; an assault rifle and a handgun were found on him. 
 
 A service member inside the building saw Abdulazeez approaching and fired at him. The gunman shot back and then proceeded inside. 
 
 Once inside, he fatally wounded Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith and "continued to shoot those he encountered," FBI Knoxville Special Agent in Charge Ed Reinhold said at a news conference. 
 
 As police followed the gunshots, he then walked out the back door into a gated motor pool area, where troops tried to scramble over a fence to safety. It was there that the remaining four were killed: Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, Sgt. Carson Holmquist, Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan and Lance Cpl. Squire Wells. 
 
 When the shooting first started, troops inside the building went room to room to rush their colleagues to safety, said Maj. Gen. Paul W. Brier, commanding general of the 4th Marine Division. Then, some rushed back into the fight. 
 
 Two guns belonging to service members were recovered at the scene, he said; shots were fired from at least one. It's unclear if the gunman was hit by one of those weapons, Reinhold said. The military will investigate whether the service members were authorized to have those weapons. 
 
 In the motor pool area, two Marines tried to "provide cover" while their comrades tried to escape over the fence, Reinhold said. 
 
 Both Reinhold and Brier declined to elaborate further on how the troops engaged Abdulazeez. 
 
 "I can tell you that our Marines reacted the way you would expect," Brier said. 
 
 At one point, Abdulazeez tried to run back into the building. When he did, Chattanooga officers confronted him. A shootout erupted. One police officer was wounded; Abdulazeez was killed. 
 
 When asked about the possibility of friendly fire, Reinhold said it appears that all of the victims were killed by the same weapon. 
 
 Friends and neighbors recalled a happy, polite young man. But a picture has emerged showing Abdulazeez was troubled in his last days: He abused drugs and alcohol, stared down the possibility of bankruptcy and couldn't find a job. He failed a drug test in 2013, getting him fired from a job at a power plant, which prompted personal writings soon after lamenting what a failure he had been, according to his family. 
 
 An uncle in Jordan who agreed to host him in an effort to sober up Abdulazeez now is detained in that country, according to that man's attorney and a government official. 
 
 The Jordanian government official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity, said investigators are trying to learn as much as they can about Abdulazeez's stay there. 
 
 Reinhold said only that the FBI would investigate every possibility and every relative, no matter where they are located. 
 
 "The uncle is a regular person, he has a company, he is a businessman, he has no relation with any militant group or organization," said Abed al-Kader Ahmad al-Khateeb, the attorney representing Asaad Ibrahim Asaad Haj Ali. "He cares about his work and his family, and Muhammad is just his relative, the son of his sister. That's it." 
 
 It is too early to determine whether Abdulazeez was "radicalized" before the attacks, Reinhold said. But when asked if Abdulazeez acted alone, Reinhold said he was currently being treated as a "homegrown violent extremist." 
 
 "We believe he acted on his own that day. ... We do not have any indication that anyone else was assisting him on that day." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Loller reported from Nashville. Associated Press writer Karin Laub contributed to this report from Amman, Jordan.
– A 26-year-old member of the Navy who was shot in this week's attack in Chattanooga has died of his injuries, making him the fifth fatality, reports AP. He has been identified as Petty Officer Randall Smith, a native of Ohio. The logistics specialist had been fighting for survival since getting shot multiple times in Thursday's assault. "He was shot once under the right arm, once in the stomach, and once in the back,” a cousin tells Tribune News Service. She adds that Smith and his wife have three daughters age 6 or younger. His step-grandmother tells Indiana's WANE that Smith had been a promising baseball player who received a college scholarship but joined the Navy after hurting his shoulder. Darlene Proxmire adds that she never worried about Smith's safety even though he was in the military, "because he was never shipped over there where, you know, the fighting and all that was at." (Authorities are looking into a long overseas trip made last year by gunman Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez.)