California State University confirmed on Saturday that one of its students, 23-year-old Nohemi Gonzalez, was killed in terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday evening.

Gonzalez was the first American confirmed to have been killed in the coordinated attacks that killed 129 and injured more than 350.

A Mexican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later said Gonzalez had held joint Mexican-US citizenship. A second Mexican citizen was killed in the attacks, the country’s foreign ministry said, and a third with dual Austrian nationality had been operated on successfully after being wounded.

“I’m deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Long Beach State University student Nohemi Gonzalez,” said Jane Close Conoley, president of Cal State’s Long Beach campus, where Gonzalez was a design student.

“Our university stands with our nearly 80 foreign exchange students from France as they struggle with this tragedy.”



The mayor of Long Beach, Robert Garcia, said on Twitter: “Nohemi Gonzalez was part of our city community – we will ensure that her memory is honored and that her family has our full support.

“The entire Long Beach community mourns the loss of Nohemi Gonzalez. Prayers for her family, friends, and her @CSULB family.”

Gonzalez was in her third year of design school at Cal State Long Beach. She was studying with 16 other students, all of whom are reported to be safe, at Strate College in Paris, KTLA reported. Cal State officials said they could not confirm when or where Gonzalez was killed. A vigil was scheduled for 4pm PT.

“Yesterday, one of our students and a dear friend to many classmates, Nohemi Gonzalez, was senselessly murdered by Isis cowards in Paris,” design department lecturer Michael LaForte said on Facebook.

“Our hearts are with her close friends and family.”

LaForte called the terrorists “spineless cowards [who] murder innocent people”.

Max Beach, another lecturer from the Long Beach design department, called Gonzalez a “bright light”.

“This senseless violence is unforgivable,” he said.

Strate College also announced Gonzalez’s death on Facebook, the post becoming a forum for French students to express support for Gonzalez’s family.

“All my thoughts go with Nohemi and those close,” said one Facebook user.

“I had hoped with all my heart that no one, in our human community, that no one would have been touched by criminal acts far or near,” said Dominique Sciamma, director of Strate College. “Unfortunately, that is not the case.

“We share in the pain of her family and her loved ones.”

According to Gonzalez’s Facebook page, she lived in Whittier, California, a city of 87,000 in eastern Los Angeles, before moving to Long Beach.

The Mexican foreign ministry said in a statement that the other citizen who died also held a Spanish passport. Speaking on local television, Mexico’s ambassador to France, Agustín García-Lopez, said the government would not comment on the identities of the women who were killed.

A Mexican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US passport holder had already been identified in the US as Gonzalez. The other woman was born in Mexico, the official said.