Syna LornBy Paul Morse
The Hamilton Spectator (Canada)
(Jul 26, 2006)
The parents of the man accused of slashing a respected 63-year-old cab driver with a machete say their son has struggled for years with mental problems.
Syna Lorn, 21, of Hamilton, has been charged with aggravated assault and robbery in the attack on Blue Line Taxi driver Rogers Musgrave early Monday morning. More charges are pending.
Police allege Musgrave was attacked inside his taxi shortly after the cabbie picked Lorn up at 55 Tindale Court in the east end around 3:30 a.m. Monday.
"The altercation started inside the cab and continued outside once the driver tried to flee," said major crime Detective Sergeant Peter Abi-Rashed yesterday.
Musgrave was found badly wounded on a street corner at Quigley and Albright roads at 4:30 a.m.
About an hour later, at 5:40 a.m., Lorn was shot by a police officer on Hixon Road.
Yesterday, Chhoeun Lorn, 48, and Mean Chhun, 45, said their son had begun to exhibit some unusual behaviour in 1980.
"He said he saw someone who wanted to kill him," his father Chhoeun Lorn said through a Cambodian interpreter in a well-kept highrise apartment on Tindale Court.
"One time he said he heard a noise in his ear that someone was going to kill him."
Lorn and his wife managed to flee Cambodia for Thailand in 1979 when Vietnam invaded and drove off the brutal Khmer Rouge, who killed an estimated 1.7 million people during their four years in power through starvation, forced labour and execution.
Born a Cambodian refugee in Thailand, Syna was a babe in arms when his parents emigrated to Canada.
His strange behaviour seemed to disappear during the day, his parents said, but reappear at night.
"In the house at night, he would feel very scared, he would go to the door and make sure it was locked," his father said.
"Then he would walk around for hours."
His parents said they took him to a family doctor, who gave him some pills.
Language difficulties and not knowing how the system worked kept them from seeking more sophisticated help.
His parents said their son had broken up with a longtime girlfriend two weeks ago.
Syna woke them up around 3 a.m. Monday and told them someone wanted to kill him.
"His mom told him to go take some rest and in the morning we would take him to the hospital," Chhoeun Lorn said.
"He said, 'I'm sorry I woke you up, Mom,' and he went back to his bedroom."
When they woke up in the morning, their son was gone, and police arrived to tell them he was in hospital after being shot by police.
The couple said police have not allowed them to see their son in hospital.
"I want to see my son, I want to bring him home," his mother said.
Syna Lorn, 21, of Hamilton, has been charged with aggravated assault and robbery in the attack on Blue Line Taxi driver Rogers Musgrave early Monday morning. More charges are pending.
Police allege Musgrave was attacked inside his taxi shortly after the cabbie picked Lorn up at 55 Tindale Court in the east end around 3:30 a.m. Monday.
"The altercation started inside the cab and continued outside once the driver tried to flee," said major crime Detective Sergeant Peter Abi-Rashed yesterday.
Musgrave was found badly wounded on a street corner at Quigley and Albright roads at 4:30 a.m.
About an hour later, at 5:40 a.m., Lorn was shot by a police officer on Hixon Road.
Yesterday, Chhoeun Lorn, 48, and Mean Chhun, 45, said their son had begun to exhibit some unusual behaviour in 1980.
"He said he saw someone who wanted to kill him," his father Chhoeun Lorn said through a Cambodian interpreter in a well-kept highrise apartment on Tindale Court.
"One time he said he heard a noise in his ear that someone was going to kill him."
Lorn and his wife managed to flee Cambodia for Thailand in 1979 when Vietnam invaded and drove off the brutal Khmer Rouge, who killed an estimated 1.7 million people during their four years in power through starvation, forced labour and execution.
Born a Cambodian refugee in Thailand, Syna was a babe in arms when his parents emigrated to Canada.
His strange behaviour seemed to disappear during the day, his parents said, but reappear at night.
"In the house at night, he would feel very scared, he would go to the door and make sure it was locked," his father said.
"Then he would walk around for hours."
His parents said they took him to a family doctor, who gave him some pills.
Language difficulties and not knowing how the system worked kept them from seeking more sophisticated help.
His parents said their son had broken up with a longtime girlfriend two weeks ago.
Syna woke them up around 3 a.m. Monday and told them someone wanted to kill him.
"His mom told him to go take some rest and in the morning we would take him to the hospital," Chhoeun Lorn said.
"He said, 'I'm sorry I woke you up, Mom,' and he went back to his bedroom."
When they woke up in the morning, their son was gone, and police arrived to tell them he was in hospital after being shot by police.
The couple said police have not allowed them to see their son in hospital.
"I want to see my son, I want to bring him home," his mother said.
2 comments:
Tragic event for both a victim and the family of the young boy. I've been through this episode with anger,nightmare,and frustration. I have a daughter who was stabbed 17 times by her boyfriend who is mentally ill, who has a command delusions and hallucinations. I decided to swift my job to serve persons with mentally ill persons in order to understand them better and help them any way I can. With almost 10 years on the job behind me, so my point is that some(may be many)Cambodians do not believe in psychotropic medications. They think the symptoms cause by the curse of devil/ghost,and spirits. Don't blame me but this is the true. This is my finding, 12% of my patients are Cambodian, I could see the differences between the group (caucasian and others)who have the same problems but taking medications regular with the support services and the group(Cambodians and others)who have the same level of support services but refuse medications or taking the meds inconsitent. >83% of the first group, individuals are stable, going to work (mostly part time)and school with occasionally relapsed(hospitalization). The second group, the individuals are having frequent hospitalizations, barely work, none of them going to school.
Yes, there are some side effects come along with these pills/shots, but the positve outcomes of the medications and the stability of the persons, who continue to live safely in the community are far outweighted than the cost. There are various medications that psychitatrist can select with the least side effects. What is/are the solutions? The person is the primary party to make things happen. but the parents as well are playing good roles. Not like white folks, majority of Cambodian parents are living with the mental ill sons/daughters everyday. They know what is abnormal pattern of thinking of their sons/daughters. Yes I recognize that it is a language barrier for some of Cambodians(very disadvasntage, but please bare in mind that," as long as you are consistent in seeking/reaching out/asking for help,there will be people and resources are there to help. If you keep in yourself, it is hard for someone to konw. I know because I live in a small town about 30,000 people or less.
Thank you---chanpho
Take my photo off this article. Or at least crop me out of the photo so that it doesn't show my identity. This photo was published without my permission. This is the female in the photo with Syna Lorn.
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