Shooting Victim Was Living His Pare

[koko@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Shooting Victim Was Living His Parents' Dreams 

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Shooting Victim Was Living His Parents' Dreams=20
By EDWARD WONG
hen Gary Wong's parents fled Burma in 1979, they wanted to give their =
future children a life away from the poverty and repression of that =
nation's military government. They bribed officials. They signed a paper =
vowing never to return.=20

By all accounts, Mr. Wong, 18, the eldest of three children, led exactly =
the kind of life his parents hoped he would. It was a life spent on =
basketball courts and Internet Web sites, in college classrooms and at a =
Manhattan office job. It was, in short, the life of a Brooklyn-born =
teenager, one that made his parents never regret boarding the plane out =
of the tropics.=20

What no one could predict was the brutal way that that life would end.=20

On Sunday night, as Mr. Wong was walking home from a friend's house, a =
gunman demanded his wallet, the police said. The suspect, Lamar Means, =
then fatally shot Mr. Wong in the chest and arm before he was shot and =
wounded by an off-duty plainclothes officer who had witnessed the =
killing, police officials said. (Mr. Means, 18, of Coney Island, who was =
charged with murder, robbery and illegal possession of a .32-caliber =
revolver, was in stable condition yesterday at Lutheran Medical Center, =
the police said.)=20

It all happened a few doors down from the victim's home in Coney Island, =
close enough for his father to hear what he thought were firecrackers =
bursting.=20

The neighborhood, lined with town houses, is home to many immigrant =
families, and has always been relatively safe, family members said.=20

"I feel shock," said Johnny Wong, the victim's father, his voice =
quavering. "You know, they took my heart away."=20

Meme Wong, the mother, was too overcome with tears to talk.=20

Friends and family members described Gary Wong, a freshman at Hunter =
College, as a teenager who was going places, calling him "very smart," =
"bright," "a genius." He had been fascinated by computers since he was =
5, when his parents bought him his first I.B.M. He read medical books. =
He had gone to Bronx High School of Science for a year, then returned to =
his local school because the trip took too long.=20


>From the moment he set foot in Hunter College last fall, he said he =
wanted to be a doctor. "I told him you need a lot of energy, a lot of =
hard work," said Jason Wong, his uncle. "He said, 'O.K., I can do it.' " =


Gary Wong was as devoted to his family as he was to his studies, =
especially when spending time with Linda Wong, 17, his sister. They =
played handball when he was not shooting basketballs at the local park. =
The two went to movies together. Mr. Wong loved action films, especially =
the "Star Wars" series. She said he had confided in her about the most =
painful moments of his adolescence: the girlfriend who broke his heart, =
the friends he sometimes argued with.=20

The last time she saw him, they were eating pizza together at home. "We =
could go anywhere together," Ms. Wong said. "Sometimes we just wanted to =
see each other for a minute, then we would go our separate ways."=20

Those who knew Mr. Wong said he loved to talk. He talked about his =
classes. He talked about the latest computer game. He talked with his =
neighborhood friends and cousins, and when he could not talk to them in =
person, he sent them e-mail messages.=20

In December 1998, Mr. Wong took a part-time job making mass mailing =
labels for Philip Holzer & Associates, a Manhattan printing company. His =
mother worked as an accountant in the same building. His supervisor, =
Noreen Wong (no relation), has known his parents since 1982, when they =
took job training classes together.=20

Noreen Wong also came from Burma, now called Myanmar, and she had =
attended birthday parties for Mr. Wong since he was an infant. "They =
liked this country," she said, crying. "This was the free country, and =
this was the future for the family."=20

Last Friday night, Mr. Wong and his supervisor caught the D train =
together back into Brooklyn. He cheerily told her about his plans to see =
some of his friends that weekend, Ms. Wong recalled.=20

Before she got off at her stop, he made her two promises: that he would =
show up early Monday to review projects, and that he would help repair =
her home computer.=20

She saw him smile as the subway doors closed. Then the train took him =
into the darkness and out of her life, leaving those promises and all =
the others unfulfilled.=20





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<H2>Shooting Victim Was Living His Parents' Dreams=20
</H2></NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE version=3D"1.0" type=3D" "><!--ELEMENT =
BYLINE-->
<H5>By EDWARD WONG</H5></NYT_BYLINE>
<P><IMG align=3Dleft alt=3DW =
src=3D"http://www.nytimes.com/images/w.gif";>hen Gary=20
Wong's parents fled Burma in 1979, they wanted to give their future =
children a=20
life away from the poverty and repression of that nation's military =
government.=20
They bribed officials. They signed a paper vowing never to return.=20
<P>By all accounts, Mr. Wong, 18, the eldest of three children, led =
exactly the=20
kind of life his parents hoped he would. It was a life spent on =
basketball=20
courts and Internet Web sites, in college classrooms and at a Manhattan =
office=20
job. It was, in short, the life of a Brooklyn-born teenager, one that =
made his=20
parents never regret boarding the plane out of the tropics.=20
<P>What no one could predict was the brutal way that that life would =
end.=20
<P>On Sunday night, as Mr. Wong was walking home from a friend's house, =
a gunman=20
demanded his wallet, the police said. The suspect, Lamar Means, then =
fatally=20
shot Mr. Wong in the chest and arm before he was shot and wounded by an =
off-duty=20
plainclothes officer who had witnessed the killing, police officials =
said. (Mr.=20
Means, 18, of Coney Island, who was charged with murder, robbery and =
illegal=20
possession of a .32-caliber revolver, was in stable condition yesterday =
at=20
Lutheran Medical Center, the police said.)=20
<P>It all happened a few doors down from the victim's home in Coney =
Island,=20
close enough for his father to hear what he thought were firecrackers =
bursting.=20
<P>The neighborhood, lined with town houses, is home to many immigrant =
families,=20
and has always been relatively safe, family members said.=20
<P>"I feel shock," said Johnny Wong, the victim's father, his voice =
quavering.=20
"You know, they took my heart away."=20
<P>Meme Wong, the mother, was too overcome with tears to talk.=20
<P>Friends and family members described Gary Wong, a freshman at Hunter =
College,=20
as a teenager who was going places, calling him "very smart," "bright," =
"a=20
genius." He had been fascinated by computers since he was 5, when his =
parents=20
bought him his first I.B.M. He read medical books. He had gone to Bronx =
High=20
School of Science for a year, then returned to his local school because =
the trip=20
took too long.=20
<P>
<P>From the moment he set foot in Hunter College last fall, he said he =
wanted to=20
be a doctor. "I told him you need a lot of energy, a lot of hard work," =
said=20
Jason Wong, his uncle. "He said, 'O.K., I can do it.' "=20
<P>Gary Wong was as devoted to his family as he was to his studies, =
especially=20
when spending time with Linda Wong, 17, his sister. They played handball =
when he=20
was not shooting basketballs at the local park. The two went to movies =
together.=20
Mr. Wong loved action films, especially the "Star Wars" series. She said =
he had=20
confided in her about the most painful moments of his adolescence: the=20
girlfriend who broke his heart, the friends he sometimes argued with.=20
<P>The last time she saw him, they were eating pizza together at home. =
"We could=20
go anywhere together," Ms. Wong said. "Sometimes we just wanted to see =
each=20
other for a minute, then we would go our separate ways."=20
<P>Those who knew Mr. Wong said he loved to talk. He talked about his =
classes.=20
He talked about the latest computer game. He talked with his =
neighborhood=20
friends and cousins, and when he could not talk to them in person, he =
sent them=20
e-mail messages.=20
<P>In December 1998, Mr. Wong took a part-time job making mass mailing =
labels=20
for Philip Holzer &amp; Associates, a Manhattan printing company. His =
mother=20
worked as an accountant in the same building. His supervisor, Noreen =
Wong (no=20
relation), has known his parents since 1982, when they took job training =
classes=20
together.=20
<P>Noreen Wong also came from Burma, now called Myanmar, and she had =
attended=20
birthday parties for Mr. Wong since he was an infant. "They liked this =
country,"=20
she said, crying. "This was the free country, and this was the future =
for the=20
family."=20
<P>Last Friday night, Mr. Wong and his supervisor caught the D train =
together=20
back into Brooklyn. He cheerily told her about his plans to see some of =
his=20
friends that weekend, Ms. Wong recalled.=20
<P>Before she got off at her stop, he made her two promises: that he =
would show=20
up early Monday to review projects, and that he would help repair her =
home=20
computer.=20
<P>She saw him smile as the subway doors closed. Then the train took him =
into=20
the darkness and out of her life, leaving those promises and all the =
others=20
unfulfilled.=20
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