Teen’s Family Just Asks Why

Relatives of one of the two 15-year-old boys gunned down in Anaheim over the weekend spoke Tuesday of their grief and said they cannot imagine a motive for such a brutal act.

Say Iemsisanith, a first cousin of Jerry Laliemthavisay, said, “He was so well-liked by everyone. We don’t understand how something like this could happen to this kid. We’re not sure if it’s a random thing. We don’t know if it’s friends. We have no clue.”

The youth and his best friend, Cuong “Chris” Minh Nguyen, were walking along West Crescent Avenue on Saturday afternoon to get food at a shopping center on Euclid Avenue when they were fatally shot, police and family members said.

The incident continues to baffle authorities, who have no suspects yet and few leads.

“We have no established motive,” said Sgt. Joe Vargas, a spokesman for the Anaheim Police Department. Based on discussions with family members and friends, investigators have no reason to think that either of the Savanna High School students had gang affiliations.

Iemsisanith said his cousin’s family and his are close, and someone surely would have noticed if Jerry had been in any kind of trouble. “I’m 100% sure that Jerry wasn’t involved in a gang shooting,” he said.

Because so much of the situation is still a mystery, he said, the family’s distress is compounded by fear that the teens may have been targeted and that other relatives may be at risk. Police have increased their presence in the area to ensure their safety, and officers in marked cars were in evidence Tuesday at the industrial area where the two boys were struck down and in the quiet neighborhood nearby where both lived.

Iemsisanith, 26, spoke of his young cousin as a fun-loving person who liked cars, enjoyed joking around and had a close relationship with relatives. “My uncle and aunt, they’re really devastated,” he said. “It’s hard to grasp the concept of him not being here.”

Jerry’s sister, Ling, 20, said the family emigrated from Laos in 1980, seeking a better life.

She and other relatives, some from as far away as North Carolina, gathered at the family home Tuesday to share their sorrow and remember Jerry. They recalled the young man, who stood nearly 6 feet tall and weighed 200 pounds, playing football for Savanna and spending his free time with Chris Nguyen. They said the teen was particularly close to his father, who treated him like a friend, and to his grandmother, who helped take care of him while his parents worked.

As Anaheim police continue to investigate the shootings, they ask that anyone with information about the case contact the homicide detail at (714) 765-1967.