The industry in California is mourning the loss of Yaakov Aminov, 46, the diamond dealer who was killed in the July 4 shootout at the El Al counter at Los Angeles International Airport

Business associates and friends remembered Aminov as a soft-spoken, friendly person. A devout Orthodox Jew, he and his wife had eight children and were expecting their ninth.

“He was very giving—just a wonderful, wonderful friend,” said close friend Avi Nektalov, who works at Custom Carats in Los Angeles. “You never heard him say anything negative about anybody. It’s a big loss. I only wish I’d spent more time with him.”

According to Manny Shennen, who once worked for Aminov, “It’s a big shock to everybody. He was a wonderful, very nice man—very straight, very honest.”

Also killed in the attack was ticket clerk Victoria Hen, 25. Following the attack, their assailant, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, was shot and killed by El Al security guards.