Van Sui Uk

Van Sui Uk was a 17-year-old Asian student from Lewisville, Texas, who was looking forward to his senior year at Lewisville High School. A member of the local Bethel Baptist Church, Van was an athlete who played both basketball and soccer. Friends and family remembered his life by leaving a basketball and a soccer medal at a memorial created in his honor.

On the night of Saturday, May 27, 2023, Van met with an acquaintance, 17-year-old Taylor Hooker, at Central Park in Lewisville. Several other people were present at the park, located at 1899 Edmonds Lane, but the events that led to violence are unclear. During the encounter, Van was shot. He died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Lewisville police officers responded to the scene and interviewed several witnesses who remained to cooperate with the investigation. The alleged shooter, Taylor Hooker, reportedly fled after the killing. Investigators quickly identified him as the suspect, and two days later, on Monday, May 29, police arrested him on a warrant. Hooker was charged with murder and held in the Denton County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

The killing of Van Sui Uk led to another tragedy months later. According to the District Attorney's office, Hooker being granted bond caused a misunderstanding among some in the local Chin community, who believed he was being freed without consequence. Van’s best friend, 16-year-old Siang Thang, sought to avenge his death. Thang targeted another teenager, Skylar Ashton Marquel Linson, after Linson released a rap video that mentioned Van's shooting.

After feuding on social media for several weeks, Thang lured Linson to a restaurant parking lot in Lewisville on September 20, 2023. There, Thang shot Linson multiple times, killing him. Thang was arrested and certified to stand trial as an adult for the murder of Linson. A jury found him guilty, and on October 24, 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison. As of that month, the murder case against Taylor Hooker for the death of Van Sui Uk was still proceeding through the court system.