Two brothers survive gunshot wounds in mass shooting, now among six victims of fatal boating accident in Bodega Bay
A father and his two sons are among the victims of a fatal boating accident in Bodega Bay last weekend. Father and a cub are among the four missing. The other son was found dead. The two sons survived gunshot wounds in a mass shooting almost exactly seven years ago in the small Northern California community where they live.
BODEGA BAY, California. – Six people were on a 20-foot boat fishing for crabs in Bodega Bay when the vessel began taking on water last weekend.
Family members said an 11-year-old boy survived, the body of a teenager was recovered and four others are still missing.
Among the six people on board were a father and his two sons.
They come from Tehama County, 100 miles north of Sacramento.
This is the second time tragedy has struck this family.
“He’s a great dad. Great, great dad,” Tiffany Phommathep told KTVU on Wednesday, referring to her husband, 41-year-old Johnny Phommathep Sr. from Corning, a small city in Northern California.
He and his 14-year-old son, Jake, are now missing after the boat they were on went into the water sometime Saturday afternoon.
The body of his 17-year-old son Johnny Junior washed ashore the next day.
They were fishing for crabs in Bodega Bay.
Tiffany said her husband is an avid fisherman.
For the past six weekends, her husband and their sons had been fishing in Bodega Bay or Monterey Bay.
This time they were with a cousin named Prasong and his 11-year-old son, Juladi, along with an adult male friend.
So far, Juladi is the only survivor.
Tiffany said the boy’s father and her husband made sure Juladi had a cooler to float on.
He reached the coast and received help.
Tiffany said everyone on board was wearing a life jacket.
She hoped that the missing somehow survived, saying: “We hope that they drifted to the country where they came from and that they cannot get help.”
This is the second time Tiffany has faced tragedy.
Almost exactly seven years ago, she and her sons survived gunshot wounds during a mass shooting in which a neighbor fatally shot others while they were near a school parking lot where she dropped off her sons.
“They’ve been through so much, both of my sons Johnny and Jake,” Tiffany said. ‘Already one tragedy. They made that just to come here.”
As they waited for answers, family members said they are grateful for the shelter, meals and prayers they have received, thanks to many people in Bodega Bay and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
“Being able to grieve in peace, without having to think about where we will lay our heads at night or what is our next meal,” said Andrew Bouna Panyanouvong, a relative of the accident victim.
Tiffany said her strength comes from her husband. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Iraq, and he is a volunteer firefighter.
He has six children and is the sole breadwinner for his family.
“I feel really bad. It shouldn’t be that way. They shouldn’t end up like this,” Tiffany said.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said it plans to continue the search every day, weather permitting.
There are two online fundraisers for the victim’s families. If you are interested in helping, please click here And here.
Amber Lee is a reporter at KTVU. Email Amber at [email protected] or text/leave a message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU