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Jul 14, 2008 5:51 pm US/Central
Father Of "Random Roadway Shooter" Talks
Marianne Martinez
GARLAND (CBS 11 News) ―
Garland detectives say 22-year-old Thai-An Huu Nguyen admitted going after ethnic groups during a series of random shootings.
His arrest earlier this month ended several days of terror for motorists in North Texas. Police say he shot at drivers in Garland, Richardson, Mesquite and Plano, injuring three people.
He is also accused of shooting into a restaurant. Police say he admitted to targeting people who appeared Asian or Hispanic. For that he's facing hate crime charges.
His father, An Nguyen, is convinced he didn't mean to hurt anyone, and that his mental and emotional problems lead him to become violent.
"I believe that something was pressuring him, but mentally I don't think he was strong enough to handle that," said Nguyen. "I don't believe that he hates anyone because he is a loving person," he said.
Nguyen said the problems started in 2002, shortly after the family immigrated from Vietnam. Thai An was attending high school in Garland.
"He had difficulties with the language, and second of all, he was picked on by some of the kids at school," Nguyen said. "He was finding a way to retaliate against the kids that picked on him at school."
Nguyen said his son was sent to a school for trouble teens, and after he came home, he showed signs of paranoia.
"After I took him home, he said he was scared of everything," said Nguyen. "He was saying that there was some noise in the house. That really scared me."
Most recently, he became more reclusive.
"He stopped talking to anyone in the family. He went to work, came home and just went straight to his room," said his father.
Nguyen says his four other children are good kids, and is struggling to deal with what his son has done.
"It hurts a lot," he said. "It feels like the family is crushed."
Thai-An Nguyen is not a U.S. citizen. He is a permanent resident. Garland police say he will most likely have his trial here. If he is convicted, he would serve time in jail here, but could face deportation after that.
"He's going to have to face the consequences," and An Nguyen. "I accept that."
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