Suspect arrested in deadly double shooting outside Sacto By Night Lounge
SACRAMENTO — An arrest was made in connection with a deadly double shooting that happened outside the Sacto By Night Lounge a year and a half ago, authorities announced.
Two people died in the November 23, 2023, shooting. CBS Sacramento spoke to the mother of one of those victims about the moment when she learned of the arrest.
Mee Yang, the mother of victim Ryu Kai Her, said the development is "a step closer to justice."
Investigators say Her, 23, was shot and killed outside the nightclub by 20-year-old Kevin Thao, who was 18 at the time of the shooting. The club's owner. Ben Do, 51, was also killed.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office released Thao's booking photo on Friday, noting that he was arrested on Wednesday, May 21.
A group of four men, including Thao, was involved in a fight with a group of women when the women gained the upper hand moments before the shooting, the sheriff's office said. This led to Thao allegedly retrieving a gun from a vehicle and firing it into a large group of innocent bystanders, resulting in Her and Do's fatal injuries.
For months, Yang has received updates from investigators on the progress with her son's case.
California Highway Patrol officers initially detained that group of four men on the night of the shooting after they left the nightclub in a vehicle. Multiple weapons were found inside the vehicle, resulting in their arrests and gun-related charges. However, investigators didn't have enough evidence to charge anyone with murder until now.
"My mind was just like, is this real? Is this happening? I was really calm to begin with," she said. "That day has come that they made arrest for the murder, and I know that with Ryo, justice will prevail, and it was just a matter of time."
Thao is being held without bail. He was arraigned on Friday.
