Wife of slain man recalls shooting, husband

Below are excerpts from a story running in Monday's San Gabriel Valley Tribune:

VALINDA -- Virginia Sua will never forget the day her husband died -- because she was there.
David Sua, 37, of Valinda was fatally shot Thursday in front of Virginia and one of the couple's four children after a confrontation with a gunman, who later turned the gun on himself.
The Suas were just a block away from their home when it happened.
"It's the worst feeling to watch someone you love pass away in front of you while you try so hard to save them," Virginia Sua said.
The gunman was identified as 34-year-old Jorge Zavala of West Covina, said Katalin Van Meter, an investigator with the Los County Department of Coroner. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The confrontation between Sua and Zavala began when Zavala threw a beer can at the family's SUV while they were driving to dinner at the nearby Boca Del Rio restaurant on Hacienda Boulevard, Virginia Sua said.
David Sua got out of the car and confronted Zavala, who then retrieved a handgun from a nearby parked truck and fired a single shot.
Virginia Sua said she heard her husband arguing with the man, accusing him of firing the gun at him. Zavala argued he shot a round in the air. Zavala then placed the gun against his own head, Virginia Sua said.
The men continued to argue as they walked about 50 feet down the street, toward a wash area, she said.
Zavala was acting very strange, she said, and tried to hand David Sua the handgun several times, saying "'here, take it.'"
David Sua pushed Zavala to the ground twice, his wife recalled.
"I saw my husband step forward toward him, and then I heard the shot," Virginia Sua said.
The gunman then immediately shot himself in the head, she said.
Zavala's family members have said they do not believe Zavala would have shot David Sua if he did not feel threatened.
Virginia Sua said while she feels for Zavala's family, "It hurts to see the suspect made a victim."
"There was really no reason for him to take my husband away," she added.
David Sua, who was a construction worker by trade, leaves behind two daughters, ages 16 and 19, and two sons, ages 14 and 11.
He grew up in Azusa and graduated from Gladstone High School in 1990.
He loved football, Virginia Sua said, and was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. David Sua also spent a lot of time with his family doing outdoor activities such as riding dirt bikes, camping and jet-skiing.
"He was a good dad," Virginia Sua said.

*Photo courtesy of the Sua family