A memorial has ballooned outside of a Chinese restaurant in Queens for the beloved delivery worker shot dead. NBC New York’s Chris Jose reports.
Police in New York City are looking into whether a disgruntled customer may be connected to the deadly shooting of deliveryman Zhiwen Yan, law enforcement sources tell News 4.
Yan, 45, was traveling through Queens late Saturday on his way to drop off a delivery when he was fatally shot in the chest around 9:30 p.m., police said.
Two days later, the police sources said detectives were investigating if a man with past run-ins at the Great Wall Chinese restaurant where Yan delivered from was involved in the shooting.
A police report had previously been filed by the restaurant against an individual in January for allegedly threatening to use a gun on staff there, according to those sources.
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Yan was found unresponsive next to his scooter in Forest Hills at the intersection of 108th Street and 67th Drive. EMS units took him to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Friends in the community have been leaving flowers, cards and hand-written notes at a growing memorial for the husband and father of three.
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"We're all obviously a little shaken, he was someone that was very instrumental in the community. He was someone everyone knew and loved and he was kind of a symbol of community for the neighborhood," Matthew Murray said.
Rep. Grace Meng, who represents the Queens neighborhood, met with Yan's wife on Sunday, who said she was frozen in shock and barely able to walk or talk.
Neighbors remembering Yan describe a much beloved community man who would always say hello "my friend."
"He was just always excited to see you and he would just shout 'hi my friend' across Queens Boulevard. Not being able to have that and knowing that I'll never hear that again from him is very upsetting," Murray said.
Investigators over the weekend were looking into whether the shot that killed Yan was a "stray bullet."
No arrests had been made as of Monday afternoon.
The law enforcement sources said if previous incidents relating to the restaurant's customer complaints can be linked to Yan's killing, then police have a person of interest they want to question.
