Edmonton's Chinatown community remembers two men killed in unprovoked attack

More than 100 people gathered in Edmonton's Chinatown on Friday to honourtwo men brutally killed in an unprovoked attack last year.

Hung Trang, 64, andBan Phuc Hoang, 61, both died after they were assaulted onMay 18, 2022. Trang had been at the Chinatownautobody shop where he worked, while Hoang was inhis nearby electronics shop.

Hoang was pronounced dead at the scene, while Trang died in hospital on May 19, 2022.

On Friday afternoon, traffic in the area around the intersection of 106th Avenue and 98th Street was diverted while thememorial servicetook place.

Fruit, incenseand flowers covered analtar with pictures of Hoang and Trang under a white tentwhere community members and the men's familiesgathered to pay their respects.

Trang's daughter, Christina Trang,told the crowdshe hopes her father is remembered for making Edmonton's Chinatown a safer place.

Butshe said not enough has been doneto promote community safetyin the year since her father was killed.

"I'm very passionate about trying to avoid another situation like this. Any family should not experience what we've gone through," she said.

"We need to see action on long term plans, not just empty promises. How does our city council feel they are doing what is best for Edmontonians? The current approach is not working."

Justin Bone has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the killings.

A CBC News investigation revealed last year that three days before Hoang and Trang were killed,RCMP officers picked up Bone from a family friend's home in Alberta Beach after Boneallegedly threatened the friend over a demand for money.

Bone had been staying at the home aspart of a condition of his release from the Edmonton Remand Centre after he was charged in a break-and-enter.

Mounties then drove Bone into west Edmonton, where they dropped him off unsupervised, in contravention of a bail condition barring him from being in the city alone.

Safety in Chinatown

At Friday's memorial, Trang and Hoang's family members sat together duringthe emotional ceremony.

Anthony Hai, owner and operator of Albert's Auto Body, where Trang worked for more than three decades, said the death affected everyone at the business.

"The guy worked all his life, for close to 40 years, and then all of a sudden got his life taken away, so it's pretty hard to comprehend what happened," Hai said.

"He only had nine months left until his retirement."

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee, and Ward O-day'minCoun.Anne Stevenson also attended the memorial.

Stevenson said she wants Edmontonians and Chinatown community members to feel safe.

"If people don't feel safe, they can't contribute fully to the community, and we all miss out as a result of that," shesaid.

As part of the response to the killings, the provincial and municipal government both launched efforts to improve safety in the area.

The city funded apolice operations hubin Chinatown as partof a safetyinitiative that includes increasing the number of police and peace officers in the area.

But ChristinaTrang said it's not working, and the continuing concentration of social services in the neighbourhoodis making things worse.

"We need the city council and the mayor to help us because those empty promises in the safety plan that was delivered to [Justice] Minister [Tyler] Shandro, the long-term plans are not happening," shesaid.