Kim Pham Punched First? Friends Avoiding Police Over Nightclub Death

Did Kim Pham throw the first punch? Those are the allegations being made and now Pham’s friends, who witnessed the nightclub death, are not willing to testify.

In a related reported by The Inquisitr, Kim Pham’s photobomb of Vanessa Tapia Zavala is claimed to be what originally ignited the brawling between two groups. This has Kim’s father wondering at the senselessness of it all:

“I can’t imagine it starts with someone interrupting a photo. I don’t know what to think.”

Witnesses claim the photo bomb triggered an all out melee that ended when an unknown woman kicked Kim Pham in the face after she was knocked to the ground. At that point everyone is said to have scurried away like rats deserting a sinking ship.

So far police have arrested two suspects thought to be involved with Kim Pham’s death. But the lawyers for Zavala claim she was knocked down earlier in the fight, was not involved in the actual beating, and that Pham started the whole thing:

“My understanding is that Pham threw the first punch, which landed on the face of Vanesa Zavala. From there the thing escalated very quickly, very violently, and there were a number of people in line with Ms. Pham that attacked the people that Ms. Zavala was with.”

Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas confirms there was “both a physical altercation and a verbal confrontation that occurred” but are not ready to say who started the fight:

“I don’t have information that [Pham is] the one who threw the first punch. However, we are still receiving information and we are following all leads so there is a possibility that the circumstances or the information that we receive could change but at this moment in time, I don’t have that information.”

Third party witnesses, like a man calling himself only “Jason,” claim Kim Pham’s beating was in fact caused by her initiating the street brawl. But Pham’s friends are unwilling to dispute this claim officially to police officers and one of them “flatly refused” a meeting. Police officer Tim Vu says these Vietnamese Americans may feel uncomfortable with discussing anything with law enforcement:

“People worry that there will be retaliation. They don’t know the court system and are intimidated by it. We need to reassure immigrants or potential witnesses that it’s not about them. It’s about all the evidence and all other witnesses.”

It’s believed Kim Pham’s friends might be influenced by older family members who remember the distrust of police in Vietnam. Police don’t even know the identities of these eight friends, one of whom is said to be Pham’s ex-boyfriend.