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Trang Dai massacre

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Coordinates: 47°13′22.3″N 122°26′34.7″W / 47.222861°N 122.442972°W / 47.222861; -122.442972
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Trang Dai massacre in Tacoma, Washington, occurred on July 5, 1998, when three gunmen entered the Trang Dai Cafe and opened fire, killing four customers and wounding five others. Detectives blamed the violence on warring Asian gangs.[1]

Incident

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Just after 1:30 a.m. on July 5, 1998, three masked gunmen burst into the Trang Dai Cafe and opened fire in the karaoke bar, killing four men and wounding five others. Two other gunmen kept watch out back and killed a waitress as she tried to leave. In all, 41 shots were fired.[2] The five killed were: Nhan Ai Nguyen, 26; Duy Le, 25; his brother, 27-year-old Hai Le; Tuong Hung Do, 33; and waitress Tuyen Vo, 21. Five were injured and eventually recovered from those injuries. Prosecutors claimed the suspects were targeting a patron, who was injured, because of a personal gripe. The crime remains one of Tacoma's worst mass slayings.[3] Crime is believed to have started from numerous theft events in the community that lead to the Trang Dai Massacre.

Investigation

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On July 18, 1998, Tacoma police officers conducted a large police operation in which they searched nine homes while looking for eight suspects in the case. Four were arrested during the operation. A fifth was arrested the next day on July 19.

An AK-47 found at one of the suspects’ homes was traced back to Bull's Eye Shooter Supply, the same gun shop that was the source of the weapon used in the Beltway sniper attacks.

The suspected ringleader, 22-year-old Ri Le, killed his younger half-brother, 17-year-old Khanh Trinh, (one of the gunman stationed at the back of the cafe) then himself in a murder-suicide pact as police officers closed in. Another suspect, 18-year-old Samath Mom, committed suicide in jail just a few hours after his arrest. Four of the other five – Jimmie Chea, John Phet, Sarun Truck Ngeth and Marvin Leo were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole while Veasna Sok, was only convicted of first-degree manslaughter in a plea deal and sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison.[4][5][6][7][8] On October 30, 2020 John Phet was resentenced to 25 years to life due to Washington State Banning such sentences for juvenile offenders.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ "Errant gun dealer, wary agents paved way for Beltway sniper tragedy – The Seattle Times". Seattletimes.com. 2003-04-29. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
  2. ^ "Family Grieves For Brothers Killed In Tacoma Shooting – 'A Wedding Becomes A Funeral' – Theories Fly On Reason For Deadly Attack". Seattletimes.com. 1998-07-07.
  3. ^ "The Trang Dai Massarce 10 years later – The News Tribune". Thenewstribune.com. 2008-06-05.
  4. ^ "Jimmie Chea #843065".
  5. ^ Krell, Alexis (December 5, 2016). "Gunman in Trang Dai Cafe shooting resentenced, could get chance at release after 40 years behind bars". The News Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "Murder suspect will be his own attorney". The Lewiston Tribune. May 15, 2000. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "Two convicted of murder in Tacoma's worst mass killing". seattlepi. The Associated Press. June 28, 2002. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "Getaway driver sentenced in 1998 Tacoma massacre". Seattle times. The Associated Press. September 17, 2002. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  9. ^ Krell, Alexis (November 1, 2020). "Gunman convicted as a teen in Tacoma's worst mass shooting could get chance at release". The News Tribune. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Gunman in Tacoma mass shooting could one day be released". Seattle Times. The Associated Press. November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
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47°13′22.3″N 122°26′34.7″W / 47.222861°N 122.442972°W / 47.222861; -122.442972

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