Gan Fong Chin

Mass Murderer

Gan Fong Chin and the 1978 Cathay Terrace Restaurant Massacre

Background

Gan Fong Chin was a Chinese-born restaurant worker who lived in Rhode Island and worked as a cook at Lee's Cathay Terrace, a family-operated Chinese restaurant on Post Road in Warwick. On June 17, 1978, Chin carried out a carefully prepared shooting inside the restaurant, killing four of his coworkers and causing panic that contributed to the death of an elderly customer from a heart attack. Chin was approximately 48 years old at the time of the massacre. Evidence presented during later court proceedings showed that he had developed intense suspicions about the people with whom he worked. He reportedly believed that his coworkers were mistreating him and attempting to poison his food. These beliefs were later described by mental-health specialists as paranoid delusions. Although Chin's psychiatric condition became a major issue during the lengthy legal proceedings, investigators also uncovered evidence that the shooting was not an entirely spontaneous act. Eleven days before the killings, Chin purchased a .30-30-caliber carbine. On the day of the massacre, he concealed the rifle inside a gift-wrapped box before carrying it into the restaurant.

The Cathay Terrace Restaurant

Lee's Cathay Terrace was located at 2099 Post Road in Warwick, Rhode Island. The restaurant was a familiar local establishment operated by members of the Lee family and staffed by cooks, servers, bartenders and other employees who regularly worked together. On the evening of Saturday, June 17, 1978, employees were preparing food and serving customers when Chin arrived with the wrapped package. Nothing about the box immediately revealed that it contained a firearm. The decorative wrapping allowed Chin to carry the weapon through the restaurant without creating immediate alarm. Once inside, Chin opened the package and removed the rifle. He began firing at close range in the restaurant, deliberately targeting people with whom he had worked. The confined surroundings left employees and customers with little time to understand what was happening or find a safe place to hide.

The Shooting on June 17, 1978

The first shots transformed the busy restaurant into a scene of terror. Chin moved through the building with the loaded carbine, firing at coworkers in the kitchen and other working areas. Witnesses were forced to flee, take cover or remain frozen as gunfire echoed through the restaurant. Four employees were fatally shot. They included restaurant co-owner Robert Lee, maître d' John O'Dell, employee Danny Linn and cashier or waitress Dorothy Johnston. Johnston was reportedly pregnant at the time of her death, adding another painful dimension to the tragedy. An elderly female customer also collapsed during the attack and died from a heart attack. She was not counted among the four murder convictions because she was not struck by gunfire, but her death was directly associated with the terror and chaos created by the shooting. Contemporary reports therefore frequently described the massacre as an incident in which five people died. Chin also fired at another person who survived, resulting in a later conviction for assault with intent to murder. By the time the violence ended, four people had been shot to death, at least one additional person had been attacked, and customers and employees had witnessed one of the deadliest restaurant shootings in Rhode Island history. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Robert Lee 51 yr old Male

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