Family United After Roller Rink Rampage

Relatives spoke Tuesday about their grief after the deadly weekend attack at a Grand Prairie roller rink where five members of a Vietnamese family were murdered.

Some blame themselves for failing to intervene in the domestic dispute that exploded in a shooting rampage at a family birthday party Saturday night.

Hoi Ta fought back tears as he described what he saw when his family gathered at Forum Roller World to celebrate his grandson's 11th birthday.

"He held on to his mother and begged his father not to kill his mother, but he [Tan Do] yelled at him and chased him away," Ta said through an interpreter.

The boy escaped but Do, 35,  fatally shot his wife, 29-year-old Trini Do, and four of her relatives. Four more people were wounded before Do killed himself.

Ta said as his daughter lay dying, she asked her wounded mother beside her to be sure her 11-year-old son and his 4-year-old sister were taken care of.

Ta said he must be strong.

"My grand children are depending on me," said Ta.

Relatives said the couple had fought for years and that they had separated and Trini Do was considering divorce, but they said none of them imagined a tragedy like what happened Saturday night.

"All of us should take some measure of responsibility that we didn't do enough," said Trini Do's cousin Minh Ha.

"I know they are up in heaven watching over us, but still the loss of half this entire family, my sister and my brother, just shocked us all," said Trini Do's brother Trung Ta.

The family said it will unite to care for the Do's two children.

The family will hold a memorial Wednesday night at Moore Funeral Home in Arlington for Tan and Trini Do, her two sisters, Lynn Ta, 16, and Michelle Ta, 28, her brother, Hien Ta, 21, and her sister-in-law, Thuy Nguyen, 25.

On Saturday, Do, her sisters and brother, will all be buried at the Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church outside of Fort Smith, Ark. Do's aunt, Janice Tran, said Do and her siblings emigrated from Vietnam to western Arkansas in 1994.  Tran said the fifth victim, Thuy Nguyen, who was Do's sister-in-law, will be buried in Vietnam.

Tarrant County Commissioner Andy Nguyen is helping to arrange a trust fund to benefit the children of Trini Do.
 
For now, donations can be made to the following non-profit group:

Vietnamese American Community of Tarrant County
P.O. Box 183821
Arlington, TX  76096
Mark the memo field on the check: Trust Fund

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us