Shot his estranged wife at the Stop By Market No. 2 in northwest Houston, and then drove to 9889 Harwin Drive at South Gessner and killed a father, mother and daughter.

Then turned his gun on himself.

  

Houston rampage leaves 4 victims, gunman dead

January 10, 2001

A convenience store owner who had apparently been feuding with a Houston wholesaler shot three people to death at the business Tuesday, then killed himself. His estranged wife was later found slain inside a cooler at his store.

A SWAT team found the bodies of a man, his wife, and their daughter inside Amko Trading, along with the mortally wounded gunman and two pistols, both of which appeared to have been fired.

5 dead in Houston rampage

Gunman kills wholesaler, himself; slain wife found in cooler

January 10, 2001

A businessman who had apparently been feuding with a Houston wholesaler killed the man and two members of his family at their business Tuesday, then fatally shot himself. The gunman's estranged wife was later found slain inside a cooler at the convenience store they owned.

Witnesses told police that the gunman walked into Amko Trading, a clothing and perfume business, about noon and said, "They murdered my family, and now I'm going to murder them.

Police say gunman had accused victim of sleeping with his wife

January 10, 2001

A convenience store owner who shot four people before killing himself had accused one of his victims of sleeping with his wife and trying to run him out of business, police and acquaintances said.

Police said Ki Yung Park entered a Houston wholesale business Tuesday and shot owner Chong Chang, Chang's wife, Hyon, 54, and their daughter, Kathy, 23.

When police arrived, Park, 54, shot himself and later died at a hospital. The body of Park's estranged wife, Byong Sun, 42, was found about four hours later inside a cooler at their convenience store.

Park had accused Chong Chang, 58, of sleeping with his wife, police said. Park was convinced Chong Chang was also trying to destroy his store, associates said.

Workers at an auto shop near the Parks' store said Park had been acting strangely recently. Park would sometimes yell at his wife while they worked, said Juan Hernandez, one of the auto shop workers.

"She would cry and I would ask her what was wrong and she would say that everything was OK," Hernandez said. "She was a real nice lady. He would come in and get his tires and oil changes in our shop. With the people in the shop he was usually friendly."

Hernandez said Park had recently begun opening and closing the store several times a day and sometimes did not open at all.

Gunman Kills 4, Self in Texas Rampage

By Claudia Kolker and Lianne Hart - Los Angeles Times

January 10, 2001

A convenience store owner, apparently enraged at a perceived feud, gunned down a husband, wife and daughter in their family-owned store across town, then fatally shot himself in the head at midday Tuesday, police said. About four hours later, authorities found the gunman's estranged wife dead in the cooler of their convenience store.

Police identified the gunman as Ki Yung Park, 54, and his estranged wife as Byong Sun Park, 42.

The victims at the store were Chung Chang, 58; his wife, Hyun Chang, 54; and their 23-year-old daughter, Kathy, Korean immigrants who had known the gunman for years, said Kristopher Ahn, the family's lawyer.

The family members were killed at Amko Trading, their discount clothing and perfume store in a Southwest Houston area dominated by strip malls purveying wholesale goods.

Witnesses told police that an Asian man in his 50s walked into the Changs' store around noon, declaring, "They murdered my family, and now I'm going to murder them." Then he began firing.

Although a neighbor said the Changs employed four other people, the gunman apparently only pursued the family.

"When I heard the shots, I got out and ran," said employee Ruben Zuniga.

Several people acquainted with the suspect said he was embroiled in a feud with the Changs, accusing Chung Chang of wrecking his business and meddling in his marriage. In recent weeks, they said, the gunman had been acting particularly erratically.

"He was mentally disturbed," said Helen Chang, a family friend and vice president of Houston's Korean American Assn. Helen Chang, who is not related to the victims, said the gunman entered the store, shot the couple's daughter first, shot the father as he tried to escape and shot the mother as she hid in a bathroom.

Attorney Ahn said the gunman "apparently came into the store alleging that Mr. Chang had an affair with his wife. I know the Changs, and he's not the kind of person who would do that. It doesn't carry any weight."

The Changs had had much to celebrate lately. Chung Chang, who emigrated from South Korea with his family 15 years ago, had recently celebrated his birthday. His family had thrown a huge party, Ahn said. Their business was flourishing; Chang was on the board of directors of Radio Korea-Houston; and a daughter who was not in the store on Tuesday had recently gotten married, Ahn said.

"He was very happy about the way things have been going lately," Ahn said.

Gunman "stressed out" before shooting spree

Acquaintances say Korean businessman Ki Yung Park was generally a nice man but often appeared weighed down by stress, particularly recently.

His behavior, somewhat erratic since last weekend, turned violent Tuesday when police say he shot and killed four people, including his wife, then turned his gun on himself.

"He didn't seem like a mean person," said Manuel Ramirez, who works at Martinez Tire and Wheel, an auto shop located next to Park's Stop By Market No. 2 convenience store in northwest Houston. "On Tuesday about 8:30 a.m., I saw him in front of his store cleaning the parking lot. He looked kind of tired, like he had a lot of stress. His hair was all out of shape."

Around noon Tuesday, Park, with two pistols in hand, entered Amko Trading, the southwest Houston wholesale business of Chong Chang, and shot and killed him, along with his wife, Hyon, 54, and his daughter, Kathy, 23. After police arrived at the scene, Park shot himself and later died at a hospital. The Changs all were shot in the head.

The body of Park's estranged wife, Byong Sun, 42, was found about four hours later inside a cooler at their convenience store. She also had been shot in the head.

Houston police say Park suspected his wife and Chong Chang were having an affair. But friends of the Changs say Park had been behaving strangely lately and was suffering from mental problems. Associates also said the killer was convinced Chong Chang was trying to destroy his convenience store.

Friends of the Changs, who immigrated from Korea in 1977, said they were kind people who often worked 14-hour days, six days a week to make their business a success.

Park worked for Chong Chang, 58, many years ago, said Helen Chang, a family friend of the Changs.

"Mr. Chang would have private parties every so often for friends. Mr. Park was part of that group. I just don't understand why Mr. Park did this. There's no reason except that he was a sick person," Helen Chang said.

Park had been having marital problems with his wife, Helen Chang said.

According to Houston police, Park's wife filed assault charges against her husband in 1998 and he was arrested.

The Houston Police Department Family Violence Unit provided her with follow-up counseling but it is unclear whether she took advantage of any of the help.

Park would sometimes yell at his wife while they worked at their convenience store, said Juan Hernandez, who also works at Martinez Tire and Wheel.

"She would cry and I would ask her what was wrong and she would say that everything was OK," Hernandez said. "She was a real nice lady. He would come in and get his tires and oil changes in our shop. With the people in the shop he was usually friendly. He looked very calm but he could get angry."

Hernandez said beginning Friday he noticed that Park was acting strange and deviating from his normal routine. He would open and close his store repeatedly throughout the day and sometimes would leave the store closed all day.

Most of Park's neighbors in west Houston declined to comment about the family on Wednesday, but one did say the family kept mostly to itself.

The Chang family will be buried on Saturday.

Helen Chang, who is also vice president of the Korean American Association of Houston, said her organization will help pay for the funerals of Park and his wife.

"What Mr. Park did doesn't stop the fact that his children need help," Helen Chang said. "We are a very tight-knit community."