SAN JOSE -- Lynbrook High School went silent Tuesday morning to honor a recent alum who was one of six UC-Santa Barbara students murdered by a violent one-man rampage through the campus town of Isla Vista over the weekend.
Principal John Dwyer led the campus-wide moment of silence for Cheng Yuan "James" Hong, a 2012 graduate. Hong and two friends, George Chen and Weihan "David" Wang, were stabbed to death when authorities say 22-year-old Elliot Rodger went on a killing spree Friday night in Isla Vista, ending with him reportedly taking his own life after exchanging fire with sheriff's deputies.
Chen was also from San Jose and graduated from Leland High School; Wang graduated from Fremont Christian High School in Fremont.
Isla Vista stabbing victims from left to right: 20-year-old Weihan "James" Wang of Fremont, 19-year-old George Chen of San Jose, 20-year-old Cheng Yuan Hong of San Jose. (KGO TV San Francisco)
Samar Kahn, a student at Lynbrook, also addressed the school during the morning announcements Tuesday, remembering Hong as "one of the kindest, most genuine people I have met."
"Everybody strives to be a good person, but they often fall short because they are afraid of the vulnerability that comes along with being too good," Kahn said over the PA system, according to a transcript provided to this newspaper. "But in this regard, James was fearless. Go on his Facebook wall right now and you will see dozens of accounts of his generous and kind nature. He never was afraid that his unrelenting kindness might have lead to him being taken advantage of. He helped out everybody he knew, myself included, and never asked for anything in return. He was good for the sake of being good, and it is incredibly rare to find people that genuine."
Dwyer said grief counselors were available Tuesday for any students or teachers needing support.
"Our deepest sympathies are with his parents and we want to offer them as much privacy and sensitivity as possible," Dwyer said.
In tune with Kahn's broadcasted remarks, Hong's Facebook page was flooded with friends' condolences, recollections and expressions of grief and shock that the 20-year-old had been taken away from them in such a horrific way.
"The world has lost someone of great value, someone that can brighten up any room and put a smile on any face," wrote Steven Vuong. "What all of you will read or hear can never truly embody how great of a person he was."
In a rambling 137-page screed before he went on his rampage Friday, Rodger laid out how he planned to lure unsuspecting victims into his apartment using "trickery," and kill them there. But there was an obstacle to the success of his meticulous plan. "The first people I would have to kill are my two housemates to secure the entire apartment for myself as my personal torture and killing chamber," he wrote. Hong and Chen, both from San Jose, were listed on the lease, and Wang, who came from Fremont, was evidently a frequent visitor.
Hong was entangled in a conflict with Rodger as recently as January, according to the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office. Rodger initiated a citizen's arrest of Hong after accusing him of stealing $22 worth of candles. Hong was booked and released, and on Tuesday, a person claiming to be a relative with access to Hong's Facebook account sought to clarify the episode.
According to the relative, Hong and Rodger were engaged in a petty argument where Rodger apparently took away his roommate's measuring cup out of annoyance over his cooking, and Hong retaliated by grabbing Rodger's candlesticks to force an immediate trade.
"In response, Elliot called the police," the relative wrote. "What kind of person would call the police for such a petty argument? ... However my family philosophy is to avoid conflicts as much as possible, and we also wanted to use this opportunity to teach James there are all kinds of people in the world that we would have to get along with. We encouraged James to pay the fine and not aggravate his roommate further."
The relative shared other memories of Hong, such as him taking up vegetarianism in the third grade "not because of religion, but because he cannot bear to harm another living creature."
"James' biggest goal is to make the world a better place through his own efforts. He made the ultimate sacrifice. I plead with everyone to take this opportunity to make the campus a safer place to prevent future tragedies like this, so James can rest in peace knowing he accomplished his dream through his sacrifice."
Contact Mark Gomez at 408-920-5869. Follow him at http://ift.tt/1j0yM82. Contact Robert Salonga at 408-920-5002. Follow him at http://ift.tt/1nRB0XB.
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