The brother of a Marine killed in an attack outside Kabul airport last year dies by suicide, his mother says
By Raja Razek, CNN
The brother of a US service member killed in a terrorist attack outside Afghanistan’s Kabul airport in August of last year has died by suicide, according to his mother Shana Chappell.
“The ripple effect! I lost two sons in less than one year, both of them in the month of August!” Chappell wrote in a Facebook post.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California, was among the dozens of people killed in the suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport, for which ISIS-K claimed credit. Nikoui was one of 13 US service members killed in the attack.
According to Chappell, Nikoui’s brother, 28-year-old Dakota Halverson, “had been expressing some of the things that had been bothering him and one of those things was the loss of his brother Kareem and how he just wanted to be with him again. He was still having a hard time believing he was actually gone.”
“He’d sneak into the cemetery at night and sleep on Kareem’s resting place. He took his life across from a permanent memorial we have here in town for his brother Kareem,” she said.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Halverson died on August 9 in Pikes Peak Park in Norco, California, about 28 miles southwest of San Bernardino.
“We have been in contact with the family and can confirm that Dakota Halverson is the brother of Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui,” Sgt. Brandi Swan with the sheriff’s department told CNN in an email. “Unfortunately, Dakota’s death was declared a suicide.”
A GoFundMe page set up by Chappell to raise money for Dakota’s service has raised over $40,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. The fundraiser goal was set at $20,000.
“Dakota Halverson was a loving son, brother and friend. Losing his brother nearly one year ago has proven too difficult to bear. Any donations for his burial and services would be greatly appreciated as he wanted to be buried next to his brother Kareem, who was killed August 26th, 2021, while serving his country. His family and I want to honor his wishes,” Chappell wrote on GoFundMe.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or call 1-800-273-TALK to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the NSPL site.
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CNN’s Amir Vera contributed to this report.
