Man Shot By Police Was 'Gentle, Loving,' Friend Says

Bernardo Ararao, a 55-year-old man shot by police Wednesday after police say he refused to drop a gun near the Suisun City Post Office, is remembered by one friend as a kind, gentle, and loving soul who fought an inner spiritual battle.

“The man that I knew wasn’t the man that went off that day,” said Izi Holokahi, co-manager of Munchies Coffee.

Holokahi said Ararao was a regular at the coffee shop, always stopping by to see how he was doing, and the two bonded over their shared knowledge of the Filipino tongue.

Ararao loved his poodle that he always brought with him to the café. However, Holokahi said one month ago, Ararao showed up at the café greatly distressed, saying his dog had been stolen.

“In my honest opinion once his serenity was taken from him, he went crazy,” he said. “It was basically like his kid. He loved that dog like it was his child.”

Holokahi said Ararao lived in an apartment off Sunset Avenue and told people he was a Vietnam War veteran. Holokahi grew so close to Ararao that he called him “apo” Filipino for “uncle.”

“I had an uncle in Hawaii who looked an acted just like him and they were both veterans,” Holokahi said, adding Ararao was a patriot.

“He would wake up every single morning and put out the flag, that’s how much of a patriot he was.”

Police said Ararao was known to them, and court records show six misdmeanor charges and one felony charge, all dismissed. Records show Ararao was also divorced.

Holokahi said he is believes his friend’s death was a tragedy.

“I believe he was in a major spiritual warfare and when he lost his dog, he lost his serenity," he said, adding: "I'm not going to speak about the police, because they were just doing their job."