Fong Vang (L) & John Thao (R).Photo:GoFundMe, John Thao/Facebook
GoFundMe, John Thao/Facebook
Meng Vang lived in the residence where the killings took place,according to KTSP, and he tried to kill a third friend, Nou Xiong, who survived a life-threatening wound to this throat, police said, according to thePioneerPress.
Xiong told police that Meng Vang attacked him with a knife “unprovoked,” but he escaped to another room and called for help, according to a police statement, the news outlet reports. He then messaged his girlfriend who then called 911.
As of Tuesday, police had not determined a motive, according to theStar Tribune, but Deputy Police Chief Joe Adams said in a statement that “hallucinogenic drugs may have been a contributing factor.”
Thao played the Southeast Asian game Sepak Takraw for the U.S. national team, and is being remembered as “one of the kindest, happiest, and most helpful people,” Jeremy Mirken, Vice Chair of Sepak Takraw of USA, tells PEOPLE.
“He always had a smile and nothing but positivity to share,” Mirken said via messenger through the Facebook page of the team, which also shareda tributeto Thao on Saturday.
“As an athlete, he was gifted, both physically and mentally, and truly selfless on the field of play,” says Mirken, adding that Thao helped the U.S. team qualify to compete in an international Sepak Takraw series.
He was a car enthusiast who was also into acting, and Mirken remembers that he was so popular that when the team had a celebration for one of their victories, half of the attendees were just Thao’s friends.
AGoFundMe fundraiserfor Fong Vang pays tribute to the “kind, humble, and loving young man.”
“It is devasting [sic] that his life was cut too short,” reads part of the fundraiser, which has been organized to assist the family with funeral costs.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’sfree True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Meng Vang’s brother Cha Vang issued astatement to KTSP, saying the four men who were at the violent scene were “best friends,” and that he doesn’t think his brother had any prior intention to commit violence.
“However, I believe that there must be some kind of bad substance that the four of them used that night to have caused this horrible tragedy,” he said in the statement. “I’m devastated and also deeply sorry for the other three families.”
source: people.com
