Fil-Am teen dies protecting his girlfriend from alleged carjackers in California
“Yhuky’s natural reaction was to cover his girlfriend in hopes of using his body to protect her from any harm,” said the family of 19-year-old Filipino-American Ashly Yhuky Tianson.
The grieving family remember Tianson as a protector, saying they were not surprised to learn that he risked his life to shield his girlfriend from harm.
According to the family's GoFund Me page, Tianson got off from work as a security guard at the V.A. Hospital in San Mateo, California on the evening of May 14 and picked up his girlfriend around 8 p.m.
Tianson, who was on the driver’s side of the car, and his girlfriend, who was on the passenger’s side, were then reportedly approached by three people at the San Mateo Adult School parking lot and tried to carjack them.
The family said the couple used pepper spray on the suspects, one of whom pulled out a gun and fired at them.
Robert Prado, Tiamson’s brother, told Fox KTVU, “His natural instinct was to use his body as a shield to cover his girlfriend. One shot him in the abdomen and a second shot hit his neck.”
Tiamson’s girlfriend was unharmed, while he was given first aid before he was rushed to the trauma center where he succumbed to his injuries.
Witnesses say after the gunfire ended, a group fled the scene on foot.
“As a mother of your son, that’s heartbreaking. Who wants to bury your son?” said Tianson’s mother, Mae Anne Prado, who revealed she and her son immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in 2008 for a better life.
Tianson’s sister Kirstie Prado said the shooting wasn’t drugs or gang-related. The family, who is seeking justice for the death of Tianson, asked, “How was he caught between this gun and this bullet?”
The family also maintains that the suspects and Tianson were strangers, contrary to first reports by the police that they were familiar to each other.
Right after the incident, the police launched an investigation and as of May 18, two suspects, both 16-year-old males, were arrested and booked into Hillcrest Juvenile Hall for homicide, attempted homicide and conspiracy. As one of the suspects is still at large, the police urges witnesses to come forward, saying that no tip is small for this case.
The family set up a GoFund Me page to cover Tianson's funeral services. As of this writing, the total donations of $39,000 has surpassed the initial goal of $18,000.
“Yhuky was a special young man with a positive attitude. He made sure to light up your day with his contagious laugh and smile,” the family wrote in the fundraiser page.
“He was selfless and generous—spending his paycheck on others before he spent it on himself,” they said of Tianson, whose dream was to join the army and become a firefighter.
For his family, Tianson was a hero and was “comforting, protecting and always made sure to express his feelings towards his loved ones.”