Lawrence mom tries to cope with shooting death of daughter shot in head
May 15, 2009
By Bill Kirk
bkirk@eagletribune.com
The Eagle Tribune (Massachusetts, USA)
LAWRENCE — Sophal Choeun spoke quietly as she leafed through a family photo album that contained pictures of her dead daughter and her other children.
"I pray to God they find who did this to my daughter," said Choeun, 45, a Cambodian immigrant who lives with her three other children and mother on the second floor of an Abbott Street multifamily house.
Her daughter, Tavaryna Choeun, 17, a Lawrence High School dropout with a history of running away from home, died yesterday in the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, where she was brought Tuesday night after she was shot once in the head in Lowell.
Police said Choeun was an "innocent bystander" — shot while riding in the front passenger seat of a car with a male friend driving and a female friend in the back seat.
No arrests were made as of last night. Authorities said they believe they know who the shooter is.
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said yesterday the driver and shooter, who are gang-affiliated, had an altercation earlier in the day, but the shooting was not gang-related.
Leone said a car pulled up alongside them and someone fired several shots, hitting Choeun once in the head. No one else was injured.
He said Choeun's two friends then dumped her body onto Suffolk Street in Lowell, where a passer-by saw her and called police.
Corey Welford, a spokesman for Leone, said police found Choeun on the street in front of 132 Suffolk St. at 10:14 p.m.
Choeun moved to Lowell to live with her 20-year-old boyfriend several months ago.
Leone said the driver and the other female passenger were interviewed, and that it was not known why they didn't take her to a hospital or call 911.
"I'll go see her in Boston today," said Choeun's mother, her other children and mother sitting by her side on a couch in the living room of their apartment at 184 Abbott St.
Choeun said her daughter had never been in trouble, and Lawrence police Chief John Romero confirmed yesterday that the girl had never been arrested in Lawrence.
The victim's sister, Maryanne Choeun, 18, said Tavaryna had dropped out of high school in her freshman year and had run away from home several times. She recently ran away from her foster home in Lawrence and had been living with her 20-year-old boyfriend in Lowell.
Tavaryna's father lives in California and is traveling in Cambodia, said Maryanne Choeun, adding that she hasn't seen her father in years and that he was unaware of his daughter's death.
Aside from her father, mother and sister Maryanne, Tavaryna has a younger sister, Susan, 16, and brother, Peter, 7, and grandmother, Chy.
May 15, 2009
By Bill Kirk
bkirk@eagletribune.com
The Eagle Tribune (Massachusetts, USA)
LAWRENCE — Sophal Choeun spoke quietly as she leafed through a family photo album that contained pictures of her dead daughter and her other children.
"I pray to God they find who did this to my daughter," said Choeun, 45, a Cambodian immigrant who lives with her three other children and mother on the second floor of an Abbott Street multifamily house.
Her daughter, Tavaryna Choeun, 17, a Lawrence High School dropout with a history of running away from home, died yesterday in the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, where she was brought Tuesday night after she was shot once in the head in Lowell.
Police said Choeun was an "innocent bystander" — shot while riding in the front passenger seat of a car with a male friend driving and a female friend in the back seat.
No arrests were made as of last night. Authorities said they believe they know who the shooter is.
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said yesterday the driver and shooter, who are gang-affiliated, had an altercation earlier in the day, but the shooting was not gang-related.
Leone said a car pulled up alongside them and someone fired several shots, hitting Choeun once in the head. No one else was injured.
He said Choeun's two friends then dumped her body onto Suffolk Street in Lowell, where a passer-by saw her and called police.
Corey Welford, a spokesman for Leone, said police found Choeun on the street in front of 132 Suffolk St. at 10:14 p.m.
Choeun moved to Lowell to live with her 20-year-old boyfriend several months ago.
Leone said the driver and the other female passenger were interviewed, and that it was not known why they didn't take her to a hospital or call 911.
"I'll go see her in Boston today," said Choeun's mother, her other children and mother sitting by her side on a couch in the living room of their apartment at 184 Abbott St.
Choeun said her daughter had never been in trouble, and Lawrence police Chief John Romero confirmed yesterday that the girl had never been arrested in Lawrence.
The victim's sister, Maryanne Choeun, 18, said Tavaryna had dropped out of high school in her freshman year and had run away from home several times. She recently ran away from her foster home in Lawrence and had been living with her 20-year-old boyfriend in Lowell.
Tavaryna's father lives in California and is traveling in Cambodia, said Maryanne Choeun, adding that she hasn't seen her father in years and that he was unaware of his daughter's death.
Aside from her father, mother and sister Maryanne, Tavaryna has a younger sister, Susan, 16, and brother, Peter, 7, and grandmother, Chy.
4 comments:
បើបក្សប្រឆាំងគ្រាន់បើម្តេចមិនទៅនិយាយជា
មួយពួកក្មេងៗទាំងនោះទៅហើយកុំចេះតែសរសេរ
ហើយម្តេចមិនថារដ្ធាភិបាលអមេរិកាំងទៅឬក៏ចង់
និយាយឲ្យរដ្ធាភិបាលនៅភ្នំពេញថាមិនមើល
ក្មេងខ្មែរបានស្លាប់ដោយការបាញ់ប្រហារគ្នា?
ក្មេងៗទាំងនោះមិនដែលយកចិត្តទុកដាក់អំពីម៉ែឪ
បានប្រណៅទេគឺពួកគេធ្វើអ្វីមួយស្រេចតែចិត្តរបស់គេ។គ្មាននរណាមួយហានប្រណៅទេពួកគេមិនទៅ
សាលាហើយដើរសេពគ្រឿងញានជារាងរាល់ថ្ងៃ
បក្សពួកគេមិនដែលគិតថាជាប្រជាពលរដ្ធខ្មែរទេ។
ខ្ញបានទៅលេងនៅទីក្រុងឡូវែលជាច្រើនដងដែរ
គឺបក្សពួកគេឥញ្ជឹងមែន។បើប្រជាពលរដ្ធខ្មែរវិញ
គឺច្រណែននិន្ទាគ្នាណាស់មិនដែលគិតថាជាពលរដ្ធ
ខ្មែទេ។បើនៅរដ្ធវ៉ាស៊ិនតោនក៏ឥញ្ជឹងដែរមិនដែល
មានចិត្តសាម្គីគ្នាទេគឺមួយចំនួនប៉ុណ្ណោះ។
I don't mean to be rude or cruel just want to state the facts. This late dropped out teen was declared as an innocence teen, but the shooter didn't aim at her because she was not involved with her ex gangsters. She ran away from hom, where did she go? BF and gangs.
I feel so sorry for the teen but she was among the sick people, her life cut short.
They need to lock up these two mother f**ker along with the shooter. Charge them with manslaughter..... for failure to seek medical help for her. They could of done a lot for her i.e dropped her off in front of a hospital or use the pay phone to call for paramedic. Instead, left her out in the cold.... for her to die. F**king gang banger!
Karma's awaiting you.
Correction for 2:12,
My apology to the girls family. She is alive. God forbid if she is to die, then charged them (2 X-friend) with manslaughter.
My condolence to the family and may god bless you.
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