Police identify victims in mass killing as shooter’s wife, her parents and sister, two children and a friend



Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal



Alexandra Zabjek, Brent Wittmeier, Mariam Ibrahim

51 mins ago

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One of seven bodies is removed from a home in Edmonton on Dec. 30, 2014. The murder weapon was a 9 mm handgun, say police.© Larry Wong One of seven bodies is removed from a home in Edmonton on Dec. 30, 2014. The murder weapon was a 9 mm handgun, say police.

The seven people killed in a northside house earlier this week have been identified as the killer’s wife, five members of her family, and her friend.

Police confirmed the dead are Phu Lam’s wife, Tien Truong and her eight-year-old son, Elvis Lam; her father Van Dang Truong, 55; her mother, Thi Dau Le, 55; her sister, Thanh Ha Thi Truong, 33; her sister’s daughter, Valentina Nguyen, 3; Viet Nguyen, 41, Tien Truong’s friend.

Phu Lam, 53, shot himself in a Fort Saskatchewan restaurant Tuesday morning, police say.

Phu Lam had married Tien Truong in Vietnam in 2000 after knowing her for six months. His bride arrived in Canada in 2003 and her family was sponsored to come to Canada in 2009.

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Court records show the relationship between Phu Lam, 53, and Tien Truong, 35, was fractured. Tien Truong sought an emergency protection order against her husband in November 2012, claiming he had assaulted her and threatened to kill her and her entire family.

Phu Lam was also charged with several domestic-violence related charges, but the charges were stayed in December 2012 after Tien Truong and her family recanted their initial statements to police.

The deaths have left families across the city preparing funerals. Another victim, Cyndi Duong, 37, was shot and killed Monday evening inside her south Edmonton home. Her death has left family and friends perplexed as to possible connections to the shooter.

Victim Viet Nguyen had one son and was divorced, but he had met a woman he wanted to marry –- Tien Truong.

“He was a nice guy, I had helped him in the past,” said Hoai Nguyen, who had done interpretation work for Viet Nguyen over the past several years. He helped him with his paperwork when he lost his driver’s license and arranged for his client to get rides to work and the grocery store.

Hoai Nguyen said Viet Nguyen was lonely since his divorce. Despite being in Canada for about a decade, he still struggled with his English. But he was a good father who took his child to the mall on weekends. And he thought he had lots in common with Tien Truong. They had planned to marry around Christmas, Hoai Nguyen said.

At this point, Hoai Nguyen can only assume his friend thought the marriage between Tien Truong and Phu Lam was over.

Phap Hoa, chief abbot at Truc Lam Temple on 97th Street and 113th Avenue, said Edmonton resident Tam Nguyen is now planning a funeral for his wife and daughter. Nguyen, who attended the temple when he was a young boy, approached the abbott for help on Thursday.

“He just wanted me to help him on this because he never had any experience about a funeral,” said Hoa. “He is very emotional. He couldn’t talk much.”

Tam Nguyen’s wife Thanh Ha Thi Truong and his daughter Valentina Nguyen are among the eight family members murdered by Phu Lam, police confirmed Friday. Ha Truong is Tien Truong’s sister; Lam helped his sister-in-law immigrate to Canada. Hoa didn’t know Ha Truong or her daughter, but said people at the temple are doing what they can to rally around the tragedy.

“Right now, what we can do is to help the victims so they can rest in peace and help the family who is still alive to comfort them and try to support them as much as we can,” Hoa said.

More to come…

azabjek@edmontonjour nal.com

twitter.com/a_zabjek





One of seven bodies is removed from a home in Edmonton on Dec. 30, 2014. The murder weapon was a 9 mm handgun, say police.



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