200 Bid Farewell to Slain Teen

About 200 people gathered at Han Kook Mortuary in Anaheim on Thursday to say goodbye to Jerry Laliemthavisay, one of two 15-year-old Savanna High School students fatally shot last weekend.

Larry Laliemthavisay sobbed as he spoke of his son, saying he was grateful for the honor of having been his father. Other relatives described the bond between the two as extremely close.

“They had a relationship not only as father and son but also as good friends,” said Say Iemsisanith, a first cousin of the slain youth.

The teen and his best friend, Cuong “Chris” Minh Nguyen, were shot in an industrial area on West Crescent Avenue in Anaheim as they walked to get food at a nearby shopping center. Police have no suspects and said that despite numerous interviews with relatives, friends and acquaintances of the two teens, they have no motive.

Because of the mystery surrounding the case, police have increased their presence in the boys’ neighborhood, in part to ease their families’ fears that they might have been targeted. Two patrol cars waited across the street from the mortuary during Thursday’s service. “We’re just making sure everything goes smoothly,” one officer said.

Friends and relatives at the funeral were bewildered and angry over Jerry Laliemthavisay’s death. “Somebody took his life for no reason,” said Pho Chanthanivong, 15. “It’s just stupid.”

Classmates recalled seeing the two popular teens, whom they described as inseparable, at a birthday party less than a week ago. “When I first heard about it, I didn’t believe it,” said James Junio,, 14. “We’ve never had to talk about death before. When you think of death, you just don’t think of them.”