A Korean American who shot and killed another Korean-American owner of Happy Day bar in Dallas Koreatown was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
According to records from the Dallas County Courthouse, 63-year-old Wan Byuk Cho was found guilty on November 11 of two charges, including murder and assault with a deadly weapon. The court sentenced Cho to 20 years in prison. Immediately after the sentence, Cho was handcuffed and taken to a prison.
The incident occurred on the night of April 3, 2023. According to witnesses at the Happy Day bar and police reports, Cho was already drunk when he first entered the place. According to security camera footage, his wife was next to Cho. The video also showed the wife trying to stop Cho from his actions.
According to the investigation, the owner of Happy Day, Hee Jeong Kang (53 at the time), refused to sell alcohol to Cho. This led to an argument between Kang and Cho. Then, Cho went outside and entered the store with a gun and fired three shots at Kang. Kang collapsed on the spot and was taken to a hospital, but he succumbed to his injury.
At the time, the customers prevented greater damage. When the shooting occurred, bar customers known to be Sung Keun Chong and Jong Soo Kim subdued Cho without delay. In the process, Jung got into a scuffle with Cho and suffered an injury to his face and a broken finger. At the time, the Dallas Police Department called the Korean Americans who held Cho “heroes.”
The murder of Kang was the first time a Korean American had shot and killed another Korean American in the Dallas Korean community.
A Korean business owner who runs a restaurant near the bar where the incident occurred said, “It’s been over a year, but I still get the shakes when I think about it,” and “Even now, my heart races and I feel a sense of dread that something might happen.” The owner added, “The wounds of the victim and the family will never be healed.”
BY EUNBYUL KIM, HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadailyny.com]
