A beautiful soul and sometimes a rough exterior

The tragic death of Zachary Ferland was the page one headline story in Tuesday's Daily News, as they reprinted a Canwest news service story with some background on the shooting that took his life last Thursday

'Warm, fun-loving' man killed in brutal shooting
By Linda Nguyen
CanWest News Service
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Page One

Zachary Ferland, a 19-year-old Prince Rupert man identified by friends and family as one of the men killed in last week's slaying in a Vancouver Chinese restaurant, was a "beautiful boy," his aunt said Monday.

"He wasn't a saint but he was very much loved by his family and friends," said Ferland's aunt Nancy Hubbard.

She said his family, including parents Francois and Ella Ferland and brother Noah, 23, were "coping with this tragedy as expected."

His father, Francois, said they are not ready to talk about the tragedy.

The death of the 2006 graduate of Prince Rupert Secondary School has shocked his many friends.

A group created in Ferland's memory on the Facebook social networking website had grown to more than 365 members and describes him as a "warm, fun-loving" young man who touched the lives of many people.

"Zach was an all-round awesome person, always making people laugh. No matter what, he was always smiling."

Ferland was killed last Thursday when two gunmen burst into the Fortune Happiness Restaurant around 4 a.m. and opened fire on a table of nine people, killing two, including Ferland, and injuring six more.

Son (Sonny) Bui, 27, was identified in a Global BC newscast Monday as another shooting victim. He was believed to be in serious condition in hospital.

One of the shooting victims was released from hospital over the weekend, leaving three injured remaining in care, Vancouver police spokesman Const. Howard Chow said. Chow added that the most severely hurt survivor of the shootings, a male, listed earlier as critical, is now expected to survive his injuries.

Chow would not confirm or deny the identities of Ferland and Bui.

"We never put it out," he said. "Sometimes we don't, depending on what the family wants or doesn't want."

The shooting, considered one of the most brazen slayings in Vancouver history, is believed to be gang-related.

Hubbard said her nephew had a "beautiful soul and sometimes a rough exterior."

She feared the public was going to get the wrong message about him.

"I don't want him to be portrayed as an Asian gang-banger," she said.