Shooting suspect offers no motive

TACOMA – A teenager refused to tell police why he shot and killed a fellow student at Henry Foss High School, saying, “I don’t want it in the news,” according to a probable cause statement filed Thursday.

Shackled in an orange jumpsuit, Douglas Chanthabouly, 18, pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and was ordered held on $1 million bail at a Pierce County Superior Court hearing. He was charged in the death of 17-year-old Samnang Kok, who was shot near a row of lockers just before classes were to begin Wednesday.

The probable cause statement, written by county Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ed Murphy, said Chanthabouly told police he “did not know Mr. Kok, but knew of him.” Witnesses told police that Chanthabouly pointed a handgun at Kok, said “What’s up?” and fired a shot into his face, Murphy wrote. Police believe the shot was fired from no more than a foot away.

The shooter stood over the body and fired twice more, hitting him in the lower left side and left buttock, the statement said. Chanthabouly was arrested about two hours later a few blocks from the school.

The Kok and Chanthabouly families attended Thursday’s hearing, sitting in different rows. Some of the Koks glanced back toward the Chanthaboulys, and a court security guard warned the families loudly not to look at or otherwise provoke each other.

Afterward, Chanthabouly’s family offered a tearful apology. Contrary to what Chanthabouly reportedly told police, his mother, Chantha Chanthabouly, said the families did know each other, but did not say how. Both families are Cambodian.

“I love the family,” she said, sobbing uncontrollably. “I love that boy, the boy that passed away, and the boy they have locked up is mine.”

Asked why her son might have killed Kok, she said: “I don’t know. … Only God can tell you.”

Rith Kok, Samnang’s older brother, invited Kok’s friends to come to his funeral Tuesday.

“He’s just a lovable person,” he said.

Uneasy students returned to Foss High earlier in the day amid a stronger security presence. Though fearful of their safety, and apprehensive about whether there might be a retaliatory attack, several said they wanted to be with their friends to discuss the shooting.

“I feel OK, but I don’t feel safe anymore,” said Dmitriy Svezhentsev, 16, who decided with his parents that it would be best to return to school.

There were police cruisers in the parking lot as students arrived for the delayed 10 a.m. start of school. School district spokeswoman Patti Holmgren said Tacoma police provided a handful of officers to patrol the school, in addition to the district’s four security officers.

“It’s to show the kids a presence, so they feel safer,” Holmgren said. “The kids are going to be going to their usual classrooms, to talk about it, and how well they did yesterday. Teachers will talk about how we mourn for the victim and his family, but these are survivors: How do we move on? How do we heal? We’re trying to be positive and move forward.”

Kok’s father, Rorth Kok, said Samnang hoped to become a soldier after graduating. Kok was the father of an 18-month-old boy.

“My son is gone and his baby is always crying after his father,” the elder Kok said, breaking into sobs.

Kok’s funeral was scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the South Side Baptist Church in Tacoma. It was to be preceded by an 11 a.m. viewing.