Yong Yang was experiencing a mental health crisis when his parents called for help from their Koreatown home. His family has since joined efforts to change how similar cases are handled.
Originally reported by Christopher Damien and Hanna Kang on May 7, 2026, this is a condensed 713-word summary. You can read the full 2,507-word investigation at thelalocal.org. https://thelalocal.org/neighborhoods/koreatown/yong-yang/
The Fight for Reform: Remembering Yong Yang
The family of Yong Yang is turning their personal tragedy into a mission for systemic change. Two years after Yong was fatally shot by the Los Angeles Police Department in his family’s Koreatown home, his parents, Min and Myung Sook Yang, remain dedicated to reforming how the city handles mental health emergencies.
The Unfinished Journey of Yong Yang: A Family’s Search for Meaning in Tragedy
In a wood-paneled apartment on Gramercy Place in Koreatown, Min Yang can still point to a single scratch on the dining table—the only physical evidence remaining of the day his son’s life ended. It is the same room where Yong Yang took his last breath on May 2, 2024, and it is where his family continues to live, refusing to move until they find some measure of closure.
For the Yang family, the story began decades ago with the promise of the American dream. Min Yang arrived in Los Angeles in 1984, drawn by the vibrant culture he had only known through American movies in Korea. His wife, Myung Sook, followed shortly after with their infant twin sons, Yong and Yin. They built a classic immigrant life: Min ran an education business and became a respected voice in the Korean American media, while the family moved through Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge before settling in Koreatown.
The Invisible Struggle
The trajectory of their lives shifted when Yong reached his 20s. He began experiencing severe depression and auditory hallucinations. His parents did everything they could, supporting him through various medications and encouraging his creative spirit. Yong was a musician at heart; today, his parents still treasure recordings of him singing in church and a special song he performed for Mother’s Day.
However, the illness was a heavy burden. Yong often struggled with paranoia and needed hours of meditation just to handle daily life. His mother, Myung Sook, recalls that while the family felt the strain, it was Yong who suffered the most, enduring an “agony” that few could truly understand.
The Crisis on Gramercy Place
The tragedy unfolded when Yong arrived at his parents’ home on May 1, 2024. Exhausted and acting erratically due to his hallucinations, his parents eventually decided to give him space, spending the night in their car and at Min’s office. When they returned the next morning and found him still in crisis, they called the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, hoping for medical transport to a hospital.
What followed was a series of fatal escalations. A social worker arrived but soon called for police assistance. When the LAPD arrived, Min Yang tried to explain that his son was alone and mentally ill. Despite this, officers entered the apartment. According to bodycam footage, they found Yong holding a kitchen knife; within seconds, Officer Andres Lopez fired three or four shots. Yong was pronounced dead on the living room floor.
From Grief to Activism
In the two years since the shooting, the Yangs have transformed their grief into a platform for reform. They have moved past the traditional cultural taboos surrounding mental illness to speak openly about their loss.
The family’s efforts are now multi-faceted:
- Legal Action: They have filed civil rights lawsuits in both state and federal courts, alleging negligence by the city and the department.
- Legislative Advocacy: Min Yang has become a regular presence in Sacramento. He was instrumental in supporting AB 572, a bill signed into law last October that protects families from being interrogated by police in the immediate, shock-filled hours following a fatal shooting.
- Community Building: The Yangs have joined a network of other families—such as the mothers of David Sullivan and Phillip Watkins—who have lost children to police shootings during mental health crises. Together, they are pushing for a future where medical professionals, not armed officers, are the primary responders to psychiatric emergencies.
A Legacy of Dignity
Though the L.A. Board of Police Commissioners eventually ruled the shooting met department criteria, they significantly noted that the tactics used prior to the shots were inappropriate. For Min Yang, this is not enough. He often reflects on the value of human dignity, noting that in his experience, the current system lacks care for the individual life.
The Yang family remains in their Koreatown apartment, surrounded by photos of Yong and Yin as toddlers. For them, advocacy is no longer a choice—it is a necessity. As Myung Sook Yang says, they hope Yong’s death will eventually protect “the lives of future Americans” by ensuring that families in crisis have a safe place to turn.
