In a shocking incident, a Korean-American man shot and killed another Korean-American man who was exercising at a fitness center in broad daylight.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) in Virginia, 43-year-old Steve Taehee Ha shot 31-year-old Hyung Joon Choi at Gold’s Gym on Sunrise Valley Road in Reston at around 1:30 p.m. on August 20. The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended eight hours later after a police search.
“Both the victim and the suspect were working out at the gym,” FCPD Captain Kent Bailey said of the incident, adding, ”The suspect approached the victim and fired multiple shots at him from a targeted stance.”
“The suspect did not fire at others,” he said, adding, ”We do not believe this was an active shooter situation where he was targeting a large group of people, but only the victim.”
Immediately after the shooting was reported, police conducted an extensive manhunt using helicopters and K-9 units before apprehending Ha. Police are investigating to determine whether the suspect and the victim knew each other or what his motive was. It is also unclear whether there was an argument before the crime, or whether the conflict between the two men led to the premeditated murder.
Paul Jacobson, a witness who was at the scene of the crime said he was working out about 20 feet away from the shooter when all of a sudden he heard gunshots to his left. Then he saw the shooter holding a gun and ran outside, hearing people’s screams everywhere, he said.
Another witness, Kevin Campbell, said that the suspect fired at least six shots at the victim. “I ran behind a pillar and when I looked, he was still pulling the trigger,” he said. “We ran to help the victim. I was holding his head, and another lady who was doing CPR told me to call for medical help. And I could see his dying face.”
According to the victim’s LinkedIn page, Choi was from Seoul, South Korea, graduated from the University of Maryland in 2017, and worked as a landscape designer.
The gym where the incident occurred opened last year. The victim and the suspect were both reportedly registered members of the gym.
“This has been a shock to our team and the gym community, and we are continuing to process the situation,” Gold’s Gym DC Metro CEO Matt Clifford said in a statement on August 21.
Police have charged Ha with second-degree murder. Police said further investigation could lead to first-degree murder charges against Ha. The Fairfax County Police Department urged residents to come forward with information about the incident at 703-246-7800.
BY SUAH JANG, KYEONGJUN KIM, YOONJAE JUNG,HOONSIK WOO
[jang.suah@koreadaily.com, kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com, jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
