Police Release Suspect in CHP Officer’s Death

Fullerton police Monday night abruptly freed the man arrested in the slaying of a California Highway Patrol officer, offering little explanation.

Young Ho Choi, 32--arrested Sunday in the shooting of 25-year-old CHP Officer Don Burt--walked away from Fullerton City Jail at 9 p.m.

Police refused to say whether they lacked the evidence to charge him with murder or decided they had arrested the wrong man.

“Mr. Choi was released at 9 p.m. pending further investigation,” said Fullerton Police Department watch commander Craig Brower. “We’ve got more work to do.”

Relatives of the slain officer reacted with little emotion to Choi’s release, saying they were confident the police will get the killer.

“We want the right person apprehended, tried, convicted and punished, not just any person,” said Michael Muravez, the father-in-law of the slain officer and a retired deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“It’s not as simple as people sometimes think it is. We have all the faith in the world that they’ll do the job.”

Other family members said they were too consumed with grief to worry about a suspect.

“You know what? I’m not even following this, I couldn’t even tell you his name,” said the slain officer’s father, Don R. Burt, himself a retired highway patrolman. “That’s because we’re not concerned with the person who did this to our son. We’re not going to get justice because there is no justice in this case. We will never get our son back.”

Choi was arrested early Sunday after several witnesses told police that a man matching his description shot Burt six times and then stood over him to deliver a final shot. Some witnesses, just after the killing, told police a teenager or young adult appeared to be the killer.

Neither the shooter’s gun nor Burt’s service weapon has been found. Despite some early reports that the gunman had wrestled Burt’s gun away and turned it on him, police now say the killer used his own 9-millimeter handgun.

Condolence calls continued to flow into the CHP’s Santa Ana office, where Burt had worked since April 1995. More than 50 people from as far away as Minnesota called to offer sympathy and donations to the widow of the slain rookie. Burt’s wife, Kristin, is seven months pregnant.

Memorial services for Burt will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. Burial will be private.