NBC 7’s Dave Summers heard from family and friends of Chi Cao at a vigil celebrating her life.
More than 100 people showed up to bring comfort to a City Heights family whose grandmother was killed in a violent, random attack at a neighborhood park.
Chi Cao, 65, was celebrated at the Central Avenue Mini Park, the same park where, according to police, she was stabbed to death as she exercised on the morning of June 19 by a man who lived just a few blocks away.
"We never expected this to happen," Cao’s grandson Zesson Tram said. "She never did. Every morning she would come out here to walk."
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Cao's daily routine is what helped give her what her family said was endless energy. She worked hard to become a U.S. citizen, and she collected and recycled cans to help support family still in Vietnam.
“She wouldn’t harm anyone," Tram said. She was lovely, she was kind-hearted, she was everything. Just amazing."
Cao was stabbed before 8:30 a.m. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department medics arrived but she could not be saved. San Diego Police Department investigators searched for her killer for hours, and by mid-afternoon had images of a suspect taken from nearby security cameras. They released the photo to the media, and went door-to-door in Cao's neighborhood asking residents if the man in the photo looked familiar.
At around 5:20 p.m., SDPD took Silveinusi Hamala, 23, into custody at his family's home just a few blocks away on 39th Street. He was slated to be arraigned Thursday on a first-degree murder charge, but the hearing was suspended until a competency evaluation is completed.
"There is no indication there was an altercation before the female was attacked or that she was targeted for a specific reason," San Diego police said in a news release issued on Monday afternoon. "At this early stage in the investigation, the exact motive for the attack is undetermined. This attack appears to be random and unprovoked."
Near Cao's home, a block of City Heights was recently commemorated by the city and labeled Little Saigon. The neighborhood has a strong Vietnamese community with shops and restaurants, and City Heights is celebrated as one of the most diverse neighborhoods in all of San Diego.
The attack sent a chill through the community felt by most everyone in it.
City Heights Stabbing
"Crime like this does put a fear in the community but that doesn’t mean we let that fear interfere with our lives, our quality of life," Tram Lam with Little Saigon said.
Little Saigon San Diego board member Su Nguyen saw Cao the day before her death.
Dozens of members of the Vietnamese and Asian Pacific Islander communities came from across the county to honor Cao's life.
“At 8 a.m. people get up and use this park. I see that every day. Something like this happening, it’s terrible," Nguyen said.
At Friday's vigil, SDPD said they are planning a "safety walk" through the community very soon. A Deputy Chief also gave credit to the City Heights community for helping them catch the suspected killer.
