On a late Thursday night in July 2018, the life of a young restaurant owner was tragically cut short in Paterson, New Jersey. Rui Zhou, a 29-year-old male, was out with his wife, Xiaomei Liu, making the last food delivery for their Chinese restaurant, Ming's Kitchen. It was a routine they had likely done many times before, but this time, it ended in a fatal encounter.
At approximately 12:42 a.m.
on July 26th, while in their white Toyota Highlander on East 34th Street, the couple was approached by a teenager who attempted to rob them. In a desperate attempt to escape, Rui Zhou tried to drive away. It was then that the assailant opened fire on their vehicle, striking Zhou. Despite being wounded, he managed to drive a short distance before crashing into several parked cars.
Police who arrived at what was initially reported as a motor vehicle accident found Rui Zhou unresponsive in the driver's seat with a gunshot wound. He was rushed to St. Joseph's University Medical Center, but tragically, he was pronounced dead at about 1:09 a.m. Miraculously, his wife, who was in the passenger seat throughout the terrifying ordeal, was not physically injured.
The investigation into the senseless killing moved swiftly, and the following day, authorities arrested a 17-year-old male from Paterson in connection with the murder. Due to his age, his name was not publicly released. The teenage suspect was charged with acts of delinquency that would constitute murder, felony murder, robbery, and unlawful possession of a weapon. The motive for the fatal shooting was determined to be a robbery attempt.
