Trieu Duong

Trieu Duong (born c. 1955 - died July 2, 2009 in Fairfield) was the owner of Jewelry For Less in Fairfield.

Duong fled from Viet Nam in a small boat in 1976 with his wife and oldest child. The family survived a pirate attack and stayed in a refugee camp in Thailand before securing an American sponsor, Thomas Gaskin, who learned of them through the mission of 1st Presbyterian Church.

They arrived in the United States on July 4, 1976. Gaskin and his church helped the Duongs adjust to life in the United States. Eventually Mr Duong was able to open his own jewelry store, which became a well-known business in Fairfield.

In July 2009 two men broke into a jewelry case at the store. When Duong came out from the back of the store he was shot in the head. His wife was present, but was not injured in the shooting. The events were recorded by a security camera. The two suspects fled, but were captured the next day - one at a home in Southwest Birmingham and the other in Virginia.

References

• Singleton, William C III and Carol Robinson (July 4, 2009) "Pair of robbers end American dream for man who came to U.S. from Vietnam 33 years ago." Birmingham News