An Anguished Father

Calls For Gun Control

By Andrew Gorosko

DANBURY — “On January 17, a young man, 28 years old, full of life, dreams, and enthusiasm, was gunned down. He met a violent, tragic death from a gun,” Dr Efren Rebong told a September 5 organizational meeting of the Northern Fairfield County Chapter of the Million Mom March.

Dr Rebong, a Newtown psychiatrist, recounted for the about 30 people at the meeting the harrowing experience that he and his family have endured following his son Mark’s nighttime fatal shooting on Interstate-84 in Danbury, while his son was on his way to work at the nearby Danbury Hilton and Towers.

State police have been working since January to crack the baffling case in seeking to bring Mark Rebong’s unknown murderer to justice. But the case has proved tough to solve.

“I would like to take this opportunity to make a difference,” Dr Rebong told members of the Million Mom March, which advocates strong gun control laws. Anita Rebong, Dr Rebong’s wife and the late Mark Rebong’s mother, looked on as an emotional Dr Rebong addressed the group at the westside campus of Western Connecticut State University.

Dr Rebong said that if he can prevent one death by addressing the group, then the death of his son will not have been in vain.

“There are so many guns… Most of these are in the wrong hands,” he said.

The doctor, who practices medicine at Danbury Hospital, said he has no problem with people owning guns, provided that guns are registered and locked.

“The world is changing. There is so much violence,” the doctor said, referring to a recent spate of killings in which eight people died due to gun violence during a 36-hour period in Danbury, Waterbury, and Hartford.

Dr Rebong said his son had been endeavoring to start businesses to improve the lives of children in the Philippines when he was shot last January. But his son’s good works came to a sudden halt when he was shot, he added.

“Our life will never be the same. But his death will never be in vain,” Dr Rebong said.

The doctor said he is working to heal himself through strong faith and the support of his family and friends. “We pray every night,” he said.

Dr Rebong provided statistics on the toll that gun violence has taken in America.

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that by 2001, firearms will surpass automobiles as the leading cause of product-related deaths in the US, he said.

Guns are the only consumer product sold which are not regulated for health and safety, he said. Dr Rebong urged the passage of stronger gun regulations and licensing requirements, plus added gun safety measures.

There is so much gun violence in America, it cannot be denied, he said.

“Be it intentional or unintentional, guns kill,” he said.

“To all mothers, accept my kisses,” he said, gently placing his hand on mouth and blowing a silent kiss to those in the audience.

“I salute you,” he added, as he placed his hand on his heart.

“Mothers can do everything and anything,” Dr Rebong said. “Through your endeavors, we can hopefully stop this senseless killing.”

 “So many wakes, so many funerals, so much waste of human life…,” he said.

A nation that has the ability to land a man on the moon can certainly do a better job of protecting its children from gun violence, he said.

Following his talk, Dr Rebong said, “My son’s life will not come back. We’re hoping gun violence can be prevented.”

Dr Rebong said he is increasing the $20,000 reward, which he had posted in connection with his son’s death, to a $50,000 reward. The reward is intended for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Mark Rebong’s murderer.

About 11 pm January 17, state police received an emergency 911 telephone call reporting a motor vehicle accident on the westbound I-84 Exit 2 A/B off-ramp. On arriving at the scene, state police found Mr Rebong gravely wounded inside his Jeep Cherokee, in a grassy area against the fence of a commuter parking lot, where the vehicle had rolled after he was shot. Mr Rebong died the following night at Danbury Hospital.

The case has proved especially puzzling to investigators.

Last spring, Dr Henry Lee, the renowned forensic scientist who conducts investigations of difficult criminal cases for the state police, performed a reconstruction of Mark Rebong’s death.

In the glare of floodlights late on the night of April 25, Dr Lee and a large team of state police investigators meticulously reconstructed the dynamics of Mr Rebong’s shooting on westbound Interstate-84. The detectives walked along Exit 2 A/B, watching, measuring, and photographing the slow progress of the black Jeep Cherokee as it was driven through the area where Mr Rebong was shot once in the head while driving to work.

In reconstructing Mr Rebong’s murder, state police were seeking to determine the possible ways in which he was shot. Investigators are trying to learn if Mr Rebong’s shooting death was a case of road rage, a drive-by shooting, or a revenge killing. State police have discounted robbery as a motive.

State police have published a poster seeking information to aid their murder investigation. State police ask anyone who may have been traveling near Exit 2 between 10:30 and 11:15 pm January 17 and may have witnessed the shooting to contact them at 800/376-1554, or 203/267-2200, or 203/267-2226.

‘Common Sense

Legislation’

The Million Mom March invited Dr Rebong to speak at its organizational meeting for its northern Fairfield County unit to increase its membership. The northern county group is a new sub-unit of the broader county organization.

Linda Payne-DiSarro of New Fairfield, the co-chairwoman of the Fairfield County chapter of the group, urged those attending to organize to stop gun violence.

“We have had enough. We want common sense legislation enacted,” she said. The high death rate caused by guns is directly attributable to easy access to guns, she said.

“This epidemic has to be stopped,” she said, adding that new chapters of the organization are forming across the US.

The group will educate voters on the gun-control positions of various candidates running for office, she said.

“Now is the time for sensible gun legislation… Human life is priceless… We are moms and we vote,” she said.

 Group member Susan Chanko of Newtown said gunfire was responsible for more than 32,000 deaths in the US in 1997.

Member Kristin Larson of Newtown said the northern county unit of the Million Mom March includes Newtown, Brookfield, Bethel, Danbury, New Fairfield, and Ridgefield.

“We’ll have a very significant ‘get out and vote’ campaign,” Ms Larson said, stressing the value of political organizing.

Group member Lynn Taborsak urged that the Million Mom March develop into a grassroots organization which can counter the National Rifle Association (NRA) in affecting national gun control policy. Ms Taborsak said the goal is to create “an organization that can thumb its nose at the NRA.”

To honor the memory of Mark Rebong, the Million Mom March must clearly state its views on gun control policy, Ms Taborsak said. The work of the Million Mom March is just starting, she added.