The man who killed his 2-year-old son and then himself after a 19-hour standoff with Gwinnett County police was living in the United States illegally, immigration officials said Friday.
But because neither Vietnam nor France would take him back, he was allowed to stay, according to a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Thy Anh Ho was serving a 10-year sentence in Indiana in 1999 when his immigration status was first investigated by ICE. Ho was ordered removed from the country by an immigration judge on August 16, 2001, ICE spokesman Bryan Cox said in an emailed statement.
“However, because Vietnamese and French authorities declined to provide appropriate travel documents, Mr. Ho ultimately had to be released…,” Cox said.
Ho was released from ICE custody on Sept. 10, 2009, on an Order of Supervision, and he last reported to ICE on March 17, 2015, as required.
Ho, also a convicted felon in Georgia, lived in Gwinnett County for several years. Since October 2013, officers had been called four times to the Beyers Landing Drive home that Ho shared with his girlfriend, according to police. No arrests were ever made, Cpl. Deon Washington said.
After an argument with his girlfriend Tuesday night, Ho allegedly pointed a gun at the woman, her teenage son and the couple’s 2-year-old, Phillip, and threatened to kill them and then himself. Ho’s girlfriend, Huyen Nguyen, and her 15-year-old son were released unharmed.
But Ho refused to surrender and remained in the home with his toddler son. Police negotiators worked for 19 hours to convince Ho to release the child and surrender. Ho fired a gunshot through the master bedroom door toward officers, then shot his son and then himself Wednesday afternoon. Ho and the child died from their injuries.
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