Boy, 12, Used Parents’ Gun in Shooting, Police Say : Crime: Witnesses say he laughed after allegedly shooting bicycle shop owner and told astonished bystanders to ‘go get the bikes.’

A 12-year-old boy allegedly used his parents’ gun to shoot a Monrovia bicycle store owner in the back of the head last week, then laughed as he left the shop and told astonished youngsters in the parking lot to “go get the bikes,” police and witnesses said Monday.

Monrovia police confirmed Monday that the boy laughed and bragged to students after the shooting. Jung (Sam) Woo, who ran Bicycle Sam’s, a popular hangout for youngsters in a mini-mall on West Duarte Road, died after being shot once Thursday afternoon with a .22-caliber revolver.

Authorities say the boy, who has no criminal record and is not in a gang, got the gun from his parents’ home. A 1991 state law makes it a felony to keep loaded firearms in the house unless they are secure from children, and police said they are investigating whether the gun was loaded and accessible to the boy, said Monrovia Police Lt. Patrick Hardy.

Police found the gun at the family’s home Thursday evening when they arrested the youth on suspicion of murder and armed robbery. Two boys, 12 and 13, who accompanied the suspect to the shop were also arrested, then released to their parents. Monrovia police are deciding whether to charge the two boys, who called police after the shooting.

Officials at Santa Fe Middle School, where the suspect attends sixth grade, refused to comment on the boy’s academic or disciplinary record. Police said he lives with his parents.

Students who gathered at Bicycle Sam’s on Monday afternoon to pay tribute to the popular merchant described the suspect, whose name is being withheld because of his age, as a bully who threatened and fought with students, got poor grades and wanted to be perceived as “cool.”

One boy said the suspect brought a gun to school about three weeks ago and showed it to him during physical education class, but apparently no one told school authorities.

The shooting occurred after school as students ate snacks in the mini-mall.

“I was right here, and he came out laughing. He told some kids: ‘Go get the bikes,’ ” said a 13-year-old witness.

Woo’s murder has shaken this community of 35,000, which logs an average of three murders a year. Authorities are at a loss to explain the crime, especially because the suspect did not steal any bikes or money.

“I’ve been doing this 27 years, and this is the first time I’ve seen a crime this serious perpetrated by so young an individual,” Hardy said.

Police say that after school on Thursday, the three boys walked to Bicycle Sam’s, where the owner often gave students discounts and did small repairs for free.

Along the way, the murder suspect showed his friends the gun and told them that he intended to steal a bike from Woo’s shop, Hardy said. The boys told police they thought that the boy was just “talking big.” Also, Hardy said the other boys believed that the gun--a small, cheap, Saturday night special-type of weapon--was fake.

While his friends waited outside, the suspect entered the store. The owner of a pizza store two doors away said he heard a pop that sounded like a car backfiring.

Moments later, the suspect left the store empty-handed and walked over to his friends, police said. They grew terrified and called police after their companion left. Hardy said the two boys cried during their interrogation but that the main suspect exhibited little emotion.

“He was very matter-of-fact and somewhat uncaring about what was going on,” Hardy said.

Woo, 49, had been shot once in the back of the head, Hardy said.

The suspect is expected to be arraigned today in Pasadena Juvenile Court. Meanwhile, funeral services for Woo, a Korean immigrant who lived in Diamond Bar and had a 12-year-old son, were held Monday at Rose Hills Mortuary in Whittier.

A student in front of the bike shop Monday said he felt ashamed.

“People thought they could take advantage of him. Because he was an immigrant, they thought he was stupid,” the boy said. “But he was a great guy. He was always giving us things for free. Now we feel terrible.”