Couple sue over death of son, grandson in 2016 shootout

The parents of a man who police said killed his 2-year-old son and himself seven years ago in a Hamilton Mill house have sued Gwinnett and Dekalb counties and 14 people, claiming police killed their son and grandson and both counties are covering up the truth.

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” said Paul Wersant, the attorney for Buu Ho and Lien Nguyen, who are in their 80s and live in Norcross. “I find it hard to believe a government that isn’t trying to hide something is fighting so hard to withhold records after all this time.”

The federal lawsuit was filed month.

The incident began one night in January 2016, when Ho and Nguyen’s son, Anh Thy Ho, got into an argument with the mother of his child in a Beyers Landing Drive house. Ho’s older stepchildren eventually called police report a domestic disturbance.

Police said Anh Thy Ho had threatened to kill everyone inside the house, including himself. The mother of his child and her two older children left the house, but Anh Thy Ho barricaded himself inside with his son, Phillip.

A 19-hour standoff ensued, during which the Gwinnett SWAT team negotiated with Anh Thy Ho. The Dekalb County SWAT team provided backup.

The standoff lasted until the afternoon of the following day, when police said they heard a gunshot and conducted an “explosive breach” into the master bedroom, where Anh Thy Phillip Ho were holed up. Police they found Phillip with a gunshot wound, and Anh Thy Ho shot himself as

entered. Both were taken to hospitals and died the same day.

The suit alleges police used excessive force and wrongfully caused the deaths of Anh Thy and Phillip Ho in violation of their civil rights, and that police illegally withheld Anh Thy Ho’s personal property from his parents after his death.

A Gwinnett County spokesperson declined to respond, citing a policy that the county does not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit names Phillip’s mother, Huyen Nguyen, and her daughter Vivian as defendants, as well as former Gwinnett County Attorney Tuwanda Rush Williams and 10 Gwinnett and Dekalb police officers.