Ki Yung Park

Timeline

• January 10, 2001 — Ki Yung Park shot his estranged wife at the Stop By Market No. 2 in northwest Houston, then drove to 9889 Harwin Drive at South Gessner and killed a father, mother and daughter; Park later shot himself and died at a hospital; his wife was found about four hours later inside a cooler.
• 1998 — Park’s wife filed assault charges against him; he was arrested.

Background

Ki Yung Park owned and operated Stop By Market No. 2 in northwest Houston and was later identified as the gunman in a Houston rampage that killed four people and left him dead. Park was 54. Park’s estranged wife was Byong Sun Park, 42.

Friends and acquaintances described Park as generally a nice man who appeared weighed down by stress, particularly recently, and they said his behavior became erratic in the days leading up to the shootings. Workers at an auto shop near Park’s store said Park had been acting strangely recently, including repeatedly opening and closing the store and sometimes leaving it closed all day.

Helen Chang described Park as mentally disturbed. Juan Hernandez described Park and his wife at the convenience store and said Park would look calm but could get angry. Multiple acquaintances said Park and the Changs were involved in a feud, with accusations that Chung Chang wrecked his business and meddled in his marriage. Associates said Park was convinced Chung Chang was trying to destroy his store.

Attorney Kristopher 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.”

Park had marital problems with his wife. 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 was unclear whether she took advantage of any help.

The offence

The rampage involved Park entering a wholesale business in southwest Houston and shooting members of the family inside their store before turning his gun on himself.

The victims at the store were Chung Chang, 58; his wife, Hyun Chang, 54; and their daughter, Kathy, 23. The victims were described as being inside Amko Trading, a discount clothing and perfume store in a Southwest Houston area dominated by strip malls purveying wholesale goods.

Witnesses told police that Park walked into the Changs’ store around noon and declared: “They murdered my family, and now I'm going to murder them.” Park began firing afterward.

Helen Chang, a family friend of the Changs, said Park 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.

Several details about the shootings were described as follows:

• Park entered the Amko Trading business around noon Tuesday with two pistols in hand.
• The Changs all were shot in the head.
• Their daughter, Kathy, 23, was shot first.
• Park shot and killed the father and the mother after firing inside the store.
• Park later shot himself after police arrived at the scene and died at a hospital.

Park’s estranged wife, Byong Sun, 42, was found about four hours later inside a cooler at the couple’s convenience store.

Investigation

Police and acquaintances described Park as having accused one of his victims of sleeping with his wife. Police said Park suspected his wife and Chong Chang were having an affair.

Witnesses told police that Park declared “They murdered my family, and now I'm going to murder them” before firing.

Workers and acquaintances connected to Park’s store described his behavior as erratic in the days before the shootings, including opening and closing the store repeatedly and sometimes leaving it closed all day.

Juan Hernandez, an auto shop worker near Park’s store, described interactions with Park and his wife and said Park could get angry. Hernandez said: “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.”

Another auto shop employee, Manuel Ramirez, described seeing Park cleaning the parking lot before the rampage. Ramirez said: “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.”

An employee named Ruben Zuniga said: “When I heard the shots, I got out and ran,”

Arrest

Park was arrested in 1998 after his estranged wife filed assault charges against him.

Trial

No trial details were provided.

Sentencing

No sentencing details were provided.

Appeals

No appeal details were provided.

Outcome

Park committed suicide by shooting himself the same day after he shot the members of the Chung Chang family at Amko Trading. Park died later at a hospital.

Park’s estranged wife was found slain inside a cooler at their convenience 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.

The victims killed at Amko Trading were:

• Chung Chang, 58
• Hyun Chang, 54
• Kathy, 23

The estranged wife found inside the cooler was:

• Byong Sun Park, 42

Other details

Park had been part of a group of friends and private parties described by Helen Chang. Helen Chang said: “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.

Helen Chang described Park as having marital problems and said she did not understand the reason for the killings. She said: “What Mr. Park did doesn't stop the fact that his children need help,” Helen Chang said. “We are a very tight-knit community.”

Helen Chang said the Chang family will be buried on Saturday and that her organization would help pay for funerals of Park and his wife.

Witnesses and acquaintances described the family as Korean immigrants who emigrated from South Korea in 1977 and said the Changs had known Park for years. Attorney Kristopher Ahn said Chung Chang emigrated from South Korea with his family 15 years earlier. Ahn also said Chung Chang had recently celebrated his birthday and that the family had thrown a huge party, and that a daughter who was not in the store on Tuesday had recently gotten married.

Kristopher Ahn described the Changs and said: “He was very happy about the way things have been going lately,” Ahn said.

Helen Chang said Park sometimes yelled at his wife while they worked at the convenience store, and Hernandez described that his wife would cry and say everything was OK. Hernandez said Park would occasionally leave the store closed all day.

The rampage locations mentioned were Stop By Market No. 2 in northwest Houston and 9889 Harwin Drive at South Gessner.