San Jose Police Raise Funds For Family Of Man Killed In Road Rage Attack
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- San Jose police have helped to raise more than $11,000 for the family of a 37-year-old man who was fatally shot in a road rage attack last week, an officer said on Saturday.
Phuoc Hong Long Lam was shot around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Senter Road and Baltic Way in East San Jose and succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
Lam, a bus driver, provided the sole source of income for his family, which includes his wife and two boys ages 4 and 7, one of whom has severe autism, according to police Officer Huan Nguyen.
Once Nguyen and other San Jose police officers met Lam's family and learned of their plight, they decided to take action, Nguyen said.
Nguyen said he set up a fundraiser page at www.youcaring.com on Friday night and sent messages out to various friends and fellow officers.
"I asked people to send it around, then this morning I woke up and my phone blew up, I got a lot of messages and texts," he said on Saturday.
The fundraiser had an initial goal of $10,000, but that had already been reached as of tonight and a new goal of $50,000 was set.
Nguyen said the money will go directly to Lam's family to help with child care and other services.
"They don't have any wealth at all, he was the only income in the family," Nguyen said. "She doesn't know how they're going to manage with the two young kids."
He said Lam's wife barely speaks English and has no family in the U.S.
"It's heartbreaking," Nguyen said. "I'm trying to raise as much money as I can so it can go straight to her and she can help raise the kids."
Anyone wishing to donate can visit http://youcaring.com/sanjose15homicide or send checks to any Wells Fargo branch under the account number 1440267027.
San Jose police are still looking for the suspect or suspects in the homicide, as well as a 2000 silver Volkswagen Jetta or similar vehicle allegedly used during the shooting.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Police Department's homicide unit at (408) 277-5283 and reference case No. 14-126-0292.
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