FAMILY MEMBERS built this Buddhist altar Saturday in the home of Lath La, 58, shown in the photo at right. She was an innocent victim killed by a stray bullet in West Oakland. Her late husband is shown in the left photo. (LAURA A. ODA - Staff)Innocent woman slain in random shooting Friday night in West Oakland
By Harry Harris and William Brand, STAFF WRITERS
Oroville Mercury Register (California, USA)
OAKLAND — A 58-year-old grandmother who came to the United States many years ago as a refugee from Communist Cambodia was killed Friday night in West Oakland when she was struck by stray bullets, fired by a gunman at a passing car.
The woman, Lath La, was a totally innocent victim, police said. Just as she got out of a van, someone on the sidewalk started shooting at a passing car, Oakland homicide Sgt. Phil Green said. The gunfire hit the woman and bullets also hit the van.
"It is this kind of senseless violence that causes families so much pain and agony," Green said.
Saturday afternoon, grieving members of her large family and many friends filled the apartment in East Oakland, creating a Buddhist altar in the living room, mourning La, and contemplating the ugly reality of urban violence.
"You should feel safe in your own community," said a niece, Stephany Pheng. "Now her six children have no mom. All the grandchildren are walking around today asking, 'Where's grandma?'"
"She was a housewife, but she was important; she cared for all the children."
Relatives said a friend drove La to the 1100 block of 8th Street in West Oakland, so she could
repay money she owed. The friend waited in the van, while La got out.
"She (the driver) heard shooting and she ducked down," a family member said. "A bullet hit the windshield andanother hit the seat where she had been."
The driver got out of the van and dropped to the ground, the family member said. "She looked under the van and saw her friend lying there."
La was declared dead at the scene.
The driver, her best friend since they were refugees together in Modesto in the 1980s, was not injured.
Her oldest son, Thy Om, said the family fled their home in Battemmang in Cambodia in the late 1970s. They found refuge in Thailand, then came to the United States in 1988. They lived first in Modesto, then moved to Oakland about 15 years ago, family members said.
"She escaped the battlefields in Cambodia," a niece, Kim San, said. "But it doesn't seem to matter where you are. It's a different kind of war here."
Family and friends Saturday were waiting for a Buddhist priest to arrive to begin a funeral service.
La was close to the monks and was the head chef at the Buddhist temple, family members said.
The killing was Oakland's 73rd homicide of the year. Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to
$20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunman. Anyone with information should call police at 238-3821 or Crime Stoppers at 238-6946.
By Harry Harris and William Brand, STAFF WRITERS
Oroville Mercury Register (California, USA)
OAKLAND — A 58-year-old grandmother who came to the United States many years ago as a refugee from Communist Cambodia was killed Friday night in West Oakland when she was struck by stray bullets, fired by a gunman at a passing car.
The woman, Lath La, was a totally innocent victim, police said. Just as she got out of a van, someone on the sidewalk started shooting at a passing car, Oakland homicide Sgt. Phil Green said. The gunfire hit the woman and bullets also hit the van.
"It is this kind of senseless violence that causes families so much pain and agony," Green said.
Saturday afternoon, grieving members of her large family and many friends filled the apartment in East Oakland, creating a Buddhist altar in the living room, mourning La, and contemplating the ugly reality of urban violence.
"You should feel safe in your own community," said a niece, Stephany Pheng. "Now her six children have no mom. All the grandchildren are walking around today asking, 'Where's grandma?'"
"She was a housewife, but she was important; she cared for all the children."
Relatives said a friend drove La to the 1100 block of 8th Street in West Oakland, so she could
repay money she owed. The friend waited in the van, while La got out.
"She (the driver) heard shooting and she ducked down," a family member said. "A bullet hit the windshield andanother hit the seat where she had been."
The driver got out of the van and dropped to the ground, the family member said. "She looked under the van and saw her friend lying there."
La was declared dead at the scene.
The driver, her best friend since they were refugees together in Modesto in the 1980s, was not injured.
Her oldest son, Thy Om, said the family fled their home in Battemmang in Cambodia in the late 1970s. They found refuge in Thailand, then came to the United States in 1988. They lived first in Modesto, then moved to Oakland about 15 years ago, family members said.
"She escaped the battlefields in Cambodia," a niece, Kim San, said. "But it doesn't seem to matter where you are. It's a different kind of war here."
Family and friends Saturday were waiting for a Buddhist priest to arrive to begin a funeral service.
La was close to the monks and was the head chef at the Buddhist temple, family members said.
The killing was Oakland's 73rd homicide of the year. Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to
$20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunman. Anyone with information should call police at 238-3821 or Crime Stoppers at 238-6946.
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