BUFORD - A Buford man and his 2-year-old son have died from injuries suffered in a standoff with Gwinnett County SWAT personnel. The 19-hour standoff started Tuesday night before ending violently at roughly 4:40 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
According to Gwinnett Police Cpl. Deon Washington, 2-year-old Phillip Nguyen passed away at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta sometime Wednesday evening. Nguyen was transported to the hospital via medical helicopter after suffering a severe gunshot wound at the hands of his father, 43-year-old Thy Ho.
Washington said Ho, who turned the gun on himself shortly after shooting his son, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound the same evening at Gwinnett Medical Center. Ho had been described as a convicted sex offender, according to Fox 5 in Atlanta
Police Cpl. Michele Pihera said via email Wednesday morning that the standoff began around 10 p.m. Tuesday when officers were called to the 1700 block of Beyers Landing Drive in Buford. Pihera said the caller told police there was a disturbance between a man and a woman at the address - the woman, he said, was his mother and the man, her boyfriend. He said the boyfriend, later identified as Ho, was holding several people at gunpoint and threatening to shoot all of them and then commit suicide.
At this point, officers called Gwinnett SWAT personnel to the scene, prompting the suspect to allow everyone to exit the home with the exception of the two-year-old boy.
Pihera said officers initiated a series of intense negotiations with the suspect, with correspondance between the parties continuing through Wednesday afternoon. The negotiation efforts ended abruptly when officers heard a gunshot emanating from the master bedroom of the home.
Officers immediately made entry into the home, where they soon encountered the suspect. Washington says upon seeing the officers, Ho turned his weapon on himself and fired.
Washington says authorities were then able to locate the child, who had apparently been shot by his father. At this point, it is unknown what caused Ho to shoot his son.
The bodies of the deceased will be turned over to the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner, who will determine the official cause of death for both individuals.
An investigation into the matter is ongoing at this time, and is being handled by the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Tuesday
October 22nd, 2024
1:36AM
