Charging documents released at the arraignment of 19-year-old Kuach C. Kuach Wednesday revealed new details about a crash he was involved in that claimed the life of another man.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 5, police responded to a two-vehicle collision on Fifth Avenue. Kuach, who’d suffered a gunshot wound, was found at the scene, as was 19-year-old Chaduer Chuol, who police said was ejected from a Honda sedan during the collision. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The driver of the other vehicle, a truck, did not require medical attention and was not connected to Kuach and Chuol, police said.
What set the crash apart from others were the multiple bullet holes in the Honda, which police said in charging documents was also split in half due to the force of the collision. Kuach initially told police he didn’t know what had happened because he was drunk and had taken Xanax, according to an affidavit by Det. Ross Henikman. Henikman stated Chuol appeared to be the driver in this case.
While Kuach denied firing a gun before the crash, an AK-47 type rifle, a Glock 10mm pistol and a revolver were found at the scene, along with multiple rounds of ammunition. Spent shell casings were found in the back seat of the Honda.
“Multiple rounds were fired from the interior of the Honda, towards the rear of the vehicle outward, suggesting that the occupants were firing at a target behind the Honda,” Henikman wrote.
Surveillance video retrieved from the area of the crash showed a dark colored pickup truck that appeared to be chasing the Honda at high speeds just before the crash, Henikman noted in his statement.
While the investigation into the crash and the shooting is still ongoing, Kuach has been charged with manslaughter for Chuol’s death.
Police have not publicly identified any suspects in the pickup truck, or announced any additional charges in the case.
