In the summer of July 2022, a Denver businesswoman named Ma Kaing was tragically killed. A 42-year-old female refugee from Myanmar who had escaped war to build a new life, she was a cherished community leader, a restaurant owner, and a board member of the East Colfax Neighborhood Association. On the evening of July 15th, she was outside her apartment building on Xenia Street, engaged in the simple, everyday task of unloading groceries from her car with her son.
In an instant, her life was cut short when she was struck by a stray bullet. Her son held her as she took her final breaths.
The source of the fatal bullet was a shootout that had erupted in the nearby New Freedom Park. Investigators later determined that a territorial dispute had broken out. More than three dozen shell casings were recovered from the scene, a testament to the indiscriminate violence that had claimed an innocent life. The incident was not a targeted attack on Kaing; she was the unintended victim of a conflict that had nothing to do with her. Her death caused an outcry from local residents who had long pleaded for help with the escalating violence in their neighborhood.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrest of four young men: Pa Reh, his brother Lu Reh, Nu Ra Ah La, and Swa Bay. All four were charged in connection with the senseless killing. The subsequent legal proceedings brought a measure of justice for Ma Kaing's family and the grieving community. Two of the men, Nu Ra Ah La and Swa Bay, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and were each sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The remaining two suspects, the Reh brothers, faced trials for first-degree murder. Lu Reh was the first to be convicted. A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and multiple counts of attempted murder for endangering others during the shootout. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His brother, Pa Reh, was the final suspect to face a jury. He was also found guilty of first-degree murder and received the same sentence of life in prison, ensuring that all four individuals involved in the tragic death of Ma Kaing were held accountable for their actions.
