News

Actions

Questions remain following double murder in Holland

Posted at 10:41 PM, Dec 08, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-08 22:42:36-05

OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich -- Three people are dead, all stemming  from a shooting at an apartment complex in Holland on Monday evening.

Mani Khounvongsa and Gilberto Andrade-Pena were killed in the 300 block Stratford Way in Holland on Monday night.  Bountavee Nerasin, the 51-year-old suspect, died after shooting himself Tuesday, according to Holland Police.

Mandy Bullers Huchinson said she opened her home to the victims' families as police conducted their investigation.

"I don’t really want to talk too much about the family because I don’t know them, but I just felt that they needed a safe place to be," said Huchinson.

It's something she believed she needed to do.

"I was here and I would expect or hope that if someone else were ever in a the same situation that they would extend their home to me as well," Huchinson said.

On Tuesday, she said she's focused on moving forward.  Huchinson discussed a neighborhood meeting that will help residents do just that.

"We talked about how we can keep a positive light on the neighborhood. And the meeting we are going to have tomorrow evening is just to make sure we are getting the facts to neighbors."

Eight-year-old Harmony Shields, who came back to her apartment building from a Christmas program, said moving forward is easier said than done.

"I was too scared to go inside," Shields said.

The girl was with Mani Khounvongsa's daughter at the time of the shooting. She said she's one of her best friends, but hasn't talked to her since Monday night.

As for the suspect, Nerasin was found Tuesday at the Laos Temple in Olive Township. Those at the temple said they thought he may have been drunk and sleeping. When his car hadn't moved on Tuesday, a fellow member tried to talk to him. It would be one of Nerasin's final conversations.

The temple member then went to the store and when he returned  police had swarmed the parking lot, discovering that Nerasin had shot himself in the chest.

The suspect's wife declined to talk to FOX 17, but told the Associated Press that the female victim was her husband's girlfriend.

A motive is still unclear and questions linger about how the three individuals were connected.

Federal court documents show that Nerasin was indicted in a drug trafficking case in 2008 as part of an organization called the Phaouthoum DTO. The network was based in Sacramento, Calif., and distributed drugs throughout Michigan, Wisconsin and other states.

Nerasin spent two years in federal prison for the crime.