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. ||||| 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. 
 
 ||||| 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. ||||| A woman places a sign at a make-shift memorial outside a military recruiting center on Friday, July 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez of Hixson, Tenn., attacked two military... (Associated Press) 
 
 A sign and a flag is placed at a make-shift memorial outside a military recruiting center on Friday, July 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez of Hixson, Tenn., attacked two military... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this image made from video and released by WRCB-TV, authorities work an active shooting scene on amincola highway near the Naval Reserve Center, in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday, July 16, 2015. Chattanooga... (Associated Press) 
 
 Chuck Hartung holds his daughter Haley, 8, during a prayer service at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church for the victims of shootings at a recruiting center and another U.S. military site a few miles... (Associated Press) 
 
 A police officer ducks under tape near a memorial in front of an Armed Forces Career Center on Thursday, July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. A gunman unleashed a barrage of fire at the center and another... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this aerial image taken from video, law enforcement personnel work the scene of a shooting at the Navy Operational Support Center and Marine Corps Reserve Center Chattanooga, Thursday, July 16, 2015,... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this frame from video, law enforcement officers detain a woman as they surround a house in Hixson, Tenn., Thursday, July 16, 2015. A gunman unleashed a barrage of fire at two sites a few miles apart... (Associated Press) 
 
 A police officer investigates outside the Armed Forces Career Center after a gunman opened fire on the building Thursday, July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Authorities say there were multiple casualties... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this image made from video and released by WRCB-TV, authorities work an active shooting scene on amincola highway near the Naval Reserve Center, in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday, July 16, 2015. Chattanooga... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this frame from video, law enforcement officers surround a house in Hixson, Tenn., Thursday, July 16, 2015. A gunman unleashed a barrage of fire at two sites a few miles apart in Chattanooga, killing... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this image made from video and released by WRCB-TV, authorities work an active shooting scene on amincola highway near the Naval Reserve Center, in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday, July 16, 2015. Chattanooga... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this frame from video, law enforcement officers detain a woman as they surround a house in Hixson, Tenn., Thursday, July 16, 2015. A gunman unleashed a barrage of fire at two sites a few miles apart... (Associated Press)
– 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.)