John S. Loui, a 48-year-old male of Cantonese-speaking Chinese origin, was the manager of the Wah Mee Club, a popular though illegal gambling establishment situated in the basement of the Louisa Hotel in Seattle's International District. The night of February 18, 1983, began like many others at the club, with patrons and staff, including Loui, engaged in the lively atmosphere of high-stakes gambling.
However, the evening was destined to take a horrific turn in the early hours of February 19th.
Shortly after midnight, three young men, Kwan Fai "Willie" Mak, Keung Kin "Benjamin" Ng, and Wai Chiu "Tony" Ng, gained entry to the club. Known to some of the patrons, their presence initially caused little alarm. This sense of security was shattered when the trio revealed their firearms and proceeded to systematically rob everyone present. The assailants bound their fourteen victims, including John Loui, with nylon cords and emptied their pockets and the cash register, stealing what was estimated to be around $20,000.
What began as a robbery escalated into a massacre. In a cold-blooded effort to eliminate all witnesses, the gunmen shot each of their captives in the head. When police gained entry to the club at approximately 1:30 AM, they discovered a scene of unimaginable carnage, with twelve individuals already deceased. John S. Loui was found among the gravely wounded and was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, becoming the thirteenth and final fatality of the massacre. The event stands as the deadliest mass murder in the history of Washington State.
The sole survivor of the brutal attack, a Pai Gow dealer named Wai Yok Chin, was able to provide crucial testimony to the police, identifying the perpetrators. This led to the swift arrests of Kwan Fai "Willie" Mak and Keung Kin "Benjamin" Ng. Wai Chiu "Tony" Ng managed to flee to Canada but was eventually apprehended in 1984 and extradited back to the United States. In the subsequent trials, Mak and Benjamin Ng were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, with Mak's initial death sentence later being overturned. Tony Ng was convicted of robbery and assault and served 28 years of a 30-year sentence before being released and deported to Hong Kong in 2014.
