David Yang Raug Mekas Tua Tuag Nyob Chico, CA
tuamlijkoob
Police chief: Shooter's victim could have been anyone in Chico
By GREG WELTER -- Staff Writer And JOE SZYDLOWSKI -- Redding Record-
Searchlight
Posted: 09/22/2011 07:30:43 AM PDT
Police arrested Jeffrey James Menzies, 27, of Chico, on suspicion of
murder late Wednesday night. Chico Police Chief Mike Maloney said
anyone who drove through the intersection of Highway 32 and Bruce Road
around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday would have been a likely target.
Maloney emphasized that Yang and Menzies had no known connection
before the shooting.
"Mr. Yang was an aspiring pastor, a graduate of Simpson College in
Redding, and was well-known and respected among the Hmong community,"
Maloney said, adding that the man had an affiliation with a church in
the south county area.
Yang was found about 3:20 a.m. by a passing motorist, slumped over the
wheel of his Toyota Camry in a left turn lane on 32, at Bruce.
Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
"Investigators were unable to uncover anything about Yang's life that
would explain his shooting. That left us with really looking in to
what was going on at the scene of the incident," said Maloney.
Just outside the primary crime scene, police noticed a vehicle parked
oddly. The license plate on the vehicle had been reported stolen, but
the vehicle was registered to Menzies, who lived not far from the
scene on Alpine Street. When shotgun shells were found in the back
seat, police towed it as possible evidence.
Around 5 p.m. Wednesday, police had information that would have led
them to Menzies. Maloney said they were about to act on it when he
came in to the Police Department to report
that his vehicle, the one already in police custody, was missing.
Investigators talked with Menzies throughout the evening, and by about
10 p.m., according to Maloney, had a much clearer picture of what had
occurred.
"We believe Mr. Menzies had been consuming alcohol earlier in the
evening at a location towards the south end of town," Maloney stated.
"At some point, after bar closing time, he came back to the area of 32
and Bruce Road. When he arrived he had two weapons in his vehicle. For
reasons we don't know, he grabbed one and secreted himself somewhere
in a field southwest of the intersection."
The spot is slightly elevated above road level.
Maloney said Menzies fired while Yang's vehicle was stopped in the
intersection, waiting to make a left turn from 32 onto Bruce Road.
Yang, who is married, worked a graveyard shift at a local
rehabilitation hospital off Bruce Road. Officials said he was
returning to work from a meal break.
A single shot shattered the front passenger side window of Yang's
Toyota Camry, and struck him in the head.
"We have no reason to believe, based on lighting conditions out there,
that Mr. Menzies would have been able to tell the age, gender, or
nationality of Mr. Yang," the chief said.
After the shooting, Maloney said Menzies abandoned his vehicle and
walked home.
Maloney said the suspected murder weapon, a high-powered deer rifle,
has not been recovered.
"This was a totally random, senseless, vicious act of violence,"
Maloney said. "We have no explanation for what took place."
Even though they had a suspect in custody, Maloney said detectives
worked the case around the clock. He said they took a short break
about 4 a.m. Thursday, then were out at first light looking for the
murder weapon near a creek north of Highway 32.
Maloney said Menzies is a member of a farming family who grew up in
the Richvale area. "Now we're going to focus on what was going on with
Mr. Menzies, attempting to determine why this happened," Maloney
said.
"The investigation is continuing, and obviously there's a lot of work
to be done."
Menzies was charged with an open count of murder and booked into the
Butte County Jail in Oroville without bail.
He is expected to be arraigned in Butte County Superior Court Friday.
Yang's family say the loss has left them reeling.
"He was so full of life," said Sarah Her, Yang's wife. "Never saw him
without a smile on his face."
Originally from Fresno, Yang graduated in 2010 with a degree in
Pastoral Studies from Simpson University. Her said after they met, he
became very involved at Messiah Life Church in Chico. Yang's skill
working with youth convinced him to get a degree in Pastoral Studies
at Simpson University, she said.
Simpson Professor of Youth Ministries Phil Vaughn said he remembers
first meeting Yang at lunch.
"I'd sat down by him and some of his friends, found out he was a
ministries major, so I knew I'd have him in several classes," he said.
"He had a way of, after you engaged with him, you just felt dignified,
of offering dignity to the people around him & He was full of joy and
life."
Psychology professor Brandy Liebscher said she'd remembered him from
her youth counseling class two years ago.
"He just would come up and talk and make you laugh and laugh," she
said. "He loved people, people loved him back."
During role-playing in her counseling class, she could always tell
where he was sitting.
"You could go around the room, you were going to sense right away
where he's at from the warmth radiating out," she said.
Yang married Her in August 2009, right before his second year at
Simpson. That year, he balanced a job as an admissions counselor and
18 credit hours.
"We just made it work, we'd go to school all day, then come home. We'd
cook, eat, watch a movie while we eat, then go straight to bed," Her
said.
Throughout the time, he retained a friendly attitude, Her said.
"If you were standing in line, waiting to return something at Walmart
customer service, he'd come up to you. (Yang would) start waiting in
line with you, start a conversation with you — even though he didn't
know a person that well," Her said.
After he graduated, the couple moved to Chico because she wanted to
attend Chico State, Her said. The pair took evening classes together
to become certified nurse assistants.
Yang took on a night shift job at a local health facility, she said.
"He'd tell me he misses nights with me," she said.
noogdlej
moo, yog be at the "wrong place at the wrong time" los yog nwg teg
dlej num nyob nplajteb tav lawm....whatever the case may he rest in
peace and thov Vaajtswv nrug nwg tsev tuabneeg especially nwg tug
quaspuj....
noogdlej