Sister kills sister - Trang and Bao Tran

[hoxharding]

Trial begins for woman who fatally shot her younger sister
By Matt Pordum
Court TV KENOSHA, Wis. â?? It is not disputed that Trang Tran shot and killed her sister during the early morning hours of May 27 at the apartment they shared.
But a jury must decide whether 21-year-old Bao Tran's death was a tragic accident or the result of criminal recklessness. Opening statements were expected Monday.
Both prosecutors and the defense agree to the basic facts surrounding the shooting. The sisters and Trang Tran's boyfriend, Jacob Karras, spent the night drinking, dancing and shooting pool at a Kenosha bar called The Barn.
Shortly after 1:30 a.m. the three returned to the apartment they all shared, and while Karras was using the bathroom, Trang Tran, 23, took her boyfriend's loaded .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, cocked it and fired at her sister.
The bullet went into Bao Tran's collarbone, through her lungs and aorta.


At 1:52, police arrived, and Bao was transported to Kenosha Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
A blood-alcohol test administered to Trang Tan roughly an hour after the shooting came back negative, according to prosecutor Robert Zapf.
Zapf and public defender Valerie Karls agree that the shooting was not a sinister act, but they disagree on whether Tran's actions were criminally reckless.
"The facts of this case are rather simple," Zapf said. "When you take a loaded gun, cock it, point it at someone, pull the trigger and kill someone, we think it's a criminally reckless act."
The prosecutor said he expects to call to the stand the police officers who arrived at the scene, the medical examiner, a ballistics expert and the crime scene investigators. Zapf said he also hopes to introduce the audiotaped police statements given by Trang Tran and her boyfriend.
In Tran's statement, she first says she was trying to "play detective and scare her sister," but later says she wasn't doing that at all.
Karls, the public defender, says the shooting was merely an accident. She says Trang Tran's experience with her boyfriend's gun wasn't extensive enough for her to have known it was loaded.
The public defender said that, in Tran's statement to police, she "repeatedly says the gun never has bullets in it," and asks, "Why were there bullets in it?"
The defense attorney said Trang Tran will probably testify as part of her defense, which will also include the testimony of her professors and fellow students at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
If convicted of second-degree reckless homicide, Tran could face from probation to 25 years in prison. For the latter sentence, she would serve 15 years in prison and then be placed on 10 years of extended supervision.
She is currently free on $50,000 cash bond that was raised with the help of Parkside students and teachers and is living in Kenosha with her mother, who left Vietnam to be with her after the shooting.
Tran is currently two credits short of obtaining a degree in International Relations at the university.
The trial is being shown live on Court TV

[Thumbilina]

That's so sad. Imagine the guilt that poor girl must feel.

Lesson learned:

Alcohol + Firearms = Tragedy

[donetodeath]

I would believe holding,cocking and firing a loaded gun at someone would be classified as blatant murder.

[GrinReaper]

Accident or not it's another reason why ALL guns should be eliminated.
If she didn't have a gun, her sister would most likely still be alive.

[Kathyf]

Just terrible. We just had a story here where I think a brother killed a brother with Mother's gun she as a police officer. It just happened 2 days ago.

[madeline]

We had an incident last year where a toddler(3 years old, I think) got hold of his grandfather's gun and shot himself. Fortunately, he survived, but what kind of an idiot leaves a gun where a toddler could get to it?

[Kathyf]

I know if people want guns keep them hidden and locked and never tell or let the kids see where they are.

[Curtis Radiohead]

Accident or not it's another reason why ALL guns should be eliminated.
If she didn't have a gun, her sister would most likely still be alive.

This statement is ridiculous. Guns do not kill people, people kill people. Do you not think that if all guns were outlawed (which, by the way, will NEVER HAPPEN) that they will not be contraband? If a human being wants something, legal or not, humans will get it.

[hoxharding]

They are having the trial on Court TV.
The sisters were close and never seen having an argument. Trang was even scared of guns whole her BF was into guns.
He kept pushing her to like guns and urged to to use 'visualization' to help get over her fear(he is a psychology major)
She had no alcohol in her system and there were no drugs present.
They played the 911 call and 'heartbreaking' is an understatement. Trang was out of her head with grief.

[Jaxxx]

I would vote for murder 1, she killed her, there wasn't any reason for her to point a "loaded or unloaded" gun at anyone, "but for" her pulling that trigger no one would be dead. Murder.

[Curtis Radiohead]

I would never point a gun, loaded or unloaded at anyone, let alone a family member. I own a couple of guns and have been very drunk on occasion and have never thought of pulling out a gun (even joking around) and waving it around. I just wish more people had that type of presence of mind as well. Maybe because I am familiar with guns I feel this way and maybe Trangs unfamiliarity with them had a bit to do with it but it just doesn't make sense at all...

[hoxharding]

I don't know what to think. I swear they said she had no alcohol in her system yesterday. Today it was mentioned she had been drinking.
That still doesn't make a difference-she was taught not to point the gun at anyone.
There is just something odd about the case.

[magblax]

The fact she was dumb enough (alcohol or not) to point a gun at anyone is criminally reckless! All guns should be treated like they're loaded (duh). It would be different if they were 6 years old...but it's hard to sympathize with a 21 year old .

[Jason]

My brother shot me in the foot and chest with a BB Gun... both were intentional.

[Finnegan]

okay, here goes.
l don't know what to think about this case for the following reason:

l have a couple friends who are mounties out in BC
years ago, in my drinking days, l went out to visit them
one night the 3 of us were totally smashed and doing silly things like skinny dipping in the ocean, etc.
late in the night, l saw a gun on the table.
l had never seen a real gun in my life.
it popped in my head that it would be funny to pretend to be a movie cop.
l pointed it at them and said "freeze assholes!!"

they dropped to the ground and said 'slowly, put the gun back on the table.' l did!!!
it would have never occurred to me in a million years there would just be a loaded gun sitting there
l was VERY shaken up. l had just pointed a loaded gun at my friends!
l still get very ooky just thinking about it
and what could have happened had l gone anywhere near the trigger

l guess my point is, drunk people do stupid things that would never occur to them to do once they sober up. it's pure luck my story didn't end tragically.
and maybe this girl really didn't mean to kill her sister.

[KristinEileen]

I saw this case on 48hrs mystery or something, not long after it happened. Like the article says they were close and no one ever saw them fight. But the theory of one of the prosecutors was that the boyfriend had tried to seduce the younger sister and that the older sister was threatened by this and eliminated her.

Your story is crazy Finnegan and it is lucky that you didn't wind up like this story.

[Bake]

I would never point a gun, loaded or unloaded at anyone, let alone a family member. I own a couple of guns and have been very drunk on occasion and have never thought of pulling out a gun (even joking around) and waving it around. I just wish more people had that type of presence of mind as well. Maybe because I am familiar with guns I feel this way and maybe Trangs unfamiliarity with them had a bit to do with it but it just doesn't make sense at all...

My two cents here:

So the sister "seemed" to get along, someone might think my sister and I get along...and I will honestly tell you, I cannot stand the....girl! We don't know what "really" happened here, no one will ever really know. Other than one pulled her b/f's gun and shot the other one.

As far as guns go, I have to agree...guns don't kill people. My father was a hunter, there were always shotguns and rifles in his house, and I knew from a very young age that I did NOT touch them. #1 Dad's belief was, what good is a gun in the house if its not loaded? #2 Kids don't touch guns and if we were caught ANYWHERE near them, we had hell to pay...because I raised in the days when parents didn't think twice about a good spanking!
I WILL NOT to this day touch a gun on my own. I have shot a hunting rifle and a hand gun, but on both occasions, the owner of the guns were right there with me and gave the how to's on how to handle them.
We were taught respect for guns as very little people. I still have that respect for them today.
And for the record, I am purchasing a shotgun AND I am signing up for gun classes to learn how to handle it properly. Can't have one with out the other.
My 2 cents.

[Harrietd]

This statement is ridiculous. Guns do not kill people, people kill people. Do you not think that if all guns were outlawed (which, by the way, will NEVER HAPPEN) that they will not be contraband? If a human being wants something, legal or not, humans will get it.

I don't want to get up on a soap box but guns DO kill people. Look at the statistics from countries that have gun control. Why do you so desperately need a gun? Obviously that young man who shot those people in that mall needed a SKS assault rifle. Don't leave home without it.

[donetodeath]

I don't want to get up on a soap box but guns DO kill people. Look at the statistics from countries that have gun control. Why do you so desperately need a gun? Obviously that young man who shot those people in that mall needed a SKS assault rifle. Don't leave home without it.

The problem is the loaded gun does no harm until a person picks it up!

[mac_lorre]

I don't want to get up on a soap box but guns DO kill people. Look at the statistics from countries that have gun control. Why do you so desperately need a gun? Obviously that young man who shot those people in that mall needed a SKS assault rifle. Don't leave home without it.

Look at the statistics from Switzerland, where members of the militia (males aged 20-30) keep government issued automatic rifles and ammunition in their homes, for the sake of quick deployment should the need arise...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_pol...in_Switzerland

The SKS is not an assault rifle, by the way....SKS is semi automatic only, assault rifles are select (switchable between semi or full-auto) fire. The media has started misusing the term to spread scare.

[Harrietd]

Look at the statistics from Switzerland, where members of the militia (males aged 20-30) keep government issued automatic rifles and ammunition in their homes, for the sake of quick deployment should the need arise...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_pol...in_Switzerland

The SKS is not an assault rifle, by the way....SKS is semi automatic only, assault rifles are select (switchable between semi or full-auto) fire. The media has started misusing the term to spread scare.

Bit of a difference between miitary personal and some redneck trying to protect his pick-up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/yoshihiro_hattori

[Ron Burgundy]

Accident or not it's another reason why ALL guns should be eliminated.
If she didn't have a gun, her sister would most likely still be alive.

Better to have a gun and not need it, then need a gun and not have it.

When some asshat procures a firearm illegally, and enters your home with the intent to commit harm to you and yours, I guarantee you'll think twice about that statement you just haphazardly made.

[Ron Burgundy]

I don't want to get up on a soap box but guns DO kill people. Look at the statistics from countries that have gun control. Why do you so desperately need a gun? Obviously that young man who shot those people in that mall needed a SKS assault rifle. Don't leave home without it.

Moving vehicles kill a LOT more. You wanna ban those too, while you're at it?

Automobiles and guns don't do the killing, the irresponsible jackasses that disrespect the cars & guns DO! Don't get things confused.

[Ruffian]

My gut tells me this was not an accident. Evidently, they had a discussion regarding guns if they went so far as the BF telling her to use visualization to get over her fear of guns. Common sense would say he in the least told her never to point a gun at anyone. Why did she wait to pick up, point and pull the trigger of the gun when her boyfriend was in the bathroom? Wouldn't she want to show him how she wasn't afraid anymore?

I should watch the trial. Just from the information given here, I don't buy it as an accident.

[Finnegan]

Better to have a gun and not need it, then need a gun and not have it.

When some asshat procures a firearm illegally, and enters your home with the intent to commit harm to you and yours, I guarantee you'll think twice about that statement you just haphazardly made.

a lot of people have their very own firearms used on them
if every dick harry and spot didn't have a gun, there would be an awful lot less killing - it's a lot harder to stab somebody. there are no drive by poisonings.

Arming For Self Protection Does not Work
The easiest response to suggestions that Canadian civilians need guns to protect themselves is to look south to the US to see where arming for self protection leads. While rates of violence in the US are comparable to countries such as Canada, Australia and Great Britain, rates of lethal violence are much higher. For example, murders without guns in the US are about 40% higher (1.4 times the rate) than in Canada while murders WITH handguns are 1500% higher (15 times the rate).

[Harrietd]

a lot of people have their very own firearms used on them
if every dick harry and spot didn't have a gun, there would be an awful lot less killing - it's a lot harder to stab somebody. there are no drive by poisonings.

Arming For Self Protection Does not Work
The easiest response to suggestions that Canadian civilians need guns to protect themselves is to look south to the US to see where arming for self protection leads. While rates of violence in the US are comparable to countries such as Canada, Australia and Great Britain, rates of lethal violence are much higher. For example, murders without guns in the US are about 40% higher (1.4 times the rate) than in Canada while murders WITH handguns are 1500% higher (15 times the rate).

Thanks for your input. The case I cited from Wikpedia did NOT involve someone with a gun trying to break in. I think, in fact, that gun fatalities in the States are even higher than 15 times ours. To get back to this thread, though, it's going to be pretty hard to prove one way or the other what really went on. Lots of people do lots of stupid things with guns. I remember a case where an asthmatic woman (in the US) slept with her inhaler and a loaded pistol under her pillow (prepared for anything, she was), in the night she was a little short of breath and reached for her inhaler - need I go on? She did survive the gunshot to her mouth though, it was only a .22.

[hoxharding]

Thanks for your input. The case I cited from Wikpedia did NOT involve someone with a gun trying to break in. I think, in fact, that gun fatalities in the States are even higher than 15 times ours. To get back to this thread, though, it's going to be pretty hard to prove one way or the other what really went on. Lots of people do lots of stupid things with guns. I remember a case where an asthmatic woman (in the US) slept with her inhaler and a loaded pistol under her pillow (prepared for anything, she was), in the night she was a little short of breath and reached for her inhaler - need I go on? She did survive the gunshot to her mouth though, it was only a .22.

Her inhaler and a gun?

[Finnegan]

Thanks for your input. The case I cited from Wikpedia did NOT involve someone with a gun trying to break in. I think, in fact, that gun fatalities in the States are even higher than 15 times ours. To get back to this thread, though, it's going to be pretty hard to prove one way or the other what really went on. Lots of people do lots of stupid things with guns. I remember a case where an asthmatic woman (in the US) slept with her inhaler and a loaded pistol under her pillow (prepared for anything, she was), in the night she was a little short of breath and reached for her inhaler - need I go on? She did survive the gunshot to her mouth though, it was only a .22.

um, l wasn't referring to your wikipedia case, but thank you for your input.
if the girl is going to be found guilty for her sister's death, than the boyfriend should suffer some form of punishment. it was irresponsible to have a loaded gun lying around. if he wasn't so careless, the shooting wouldn't have happened if it was accidental.

[KCBee]

Accident or not it's another reason why ALL guns should be eliminated.
If she didn't have a gun, her sister would most likely still be alive.

Without guns, people would still find a way to be reckless. As Archie Bunker would say to Gloria, "Would you feel better if she was pushed out of a window?" Maybe not a direct quote, but hopefully you get my point.

[neilmpenny]

Involuntory manslaugter I expect.