The brother of a service member who lost his life in Afghanistan almost one year ago has died by suicide.
On August 9, police confirmed that Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui’s older brother, Dakota Halverson, had died.
He was 28 years old.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) also tweeted over the weekend, “The older brother of one of the 13 KIA in Kabul recently killed himself at his little brother’s memorial.”
He added, “Please pray for his family. There MUST be accountability for this continued carnage.”
The older brother of one of the 13 KIA in Kabul recently killed himself at his little brother’s memorial. Please pray for his family. There MUST be accountability for this continued carnage. https://t.co/7nPjpoqR4H
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) August 13, 2022
Waltz also shared a Facebook post written by their mother, Shana Chappell, about her sons.
“The month of August has been very hard so far with the one year coming up. I look at my kids as strong and like they can handle anything. That was my mistake,” Chappell wrote.
She added, “My son Dakota has been talking a lot lately about how he just wants to be with Kareem, how much he misses him, etc.”
Her post continues, “We all feel that way so I didn’t see the signs. This morning my son Dakota went to be with his brother Kareem.”
Concluding her post, Chappell wrote she was “still in shock over this right now and I can’t believe that it’s real so please don’t think I’m rude if I don’t reply back to your comments or msgs. I just need some time.”
Town Hall senior writer Julio Rosas posted a link to Chappell’s GoFundMe page.
Heartbreaking: Shana Chappell, who lost her son LCpl. Kareem Nikoui in the attack during the Afghanistan evacuation last year, announced her son Dakota died this morning. Link to the GoFundMe she set up: https://t.co/bLWPpFgHty #SuicideAwareness pic.twitter.com/Koe5Vd1Qpo
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 10, 2022
The GoFundMe page describes Halverson as a “loving son, brother and friend.”
The page continues, “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.”
Nikoui was one of the 13 service members killed in a suicide bombing attack outside the Kabul airport in August 2021.