You are reading

Forest Hills Residents Comfort Family of Delivery Man Gunned Down on Local Street

Congressmember Grace Meng tries to comfort Eva Zhao, whose husband Zhiwen Yen was shot and killed in Forest Hills Saturday night while making a delivery for a Chinese restaurant. Yen leaves behind a wife and three kids, ages 2, 12 and 14.

May 2, 2022 By Christian Murray

The Forest Hills community remains in shock two days after a Chinese food delivery man was shot and killed while working in the neighborhood Saturday night.

Zhiwen Yan, 45, was on his scooter when he was fatally shot in the chest near the intersection of 108th Street and 67th Drive at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, according to police.  He was making a delivery for the Great Wall Restaurant, located at 104-37 Queens Boulevard, and had a bag of food in his possession when he was hit. The police have not made any arrests.

Yan had worked for the Great Wall for more than a decade and was a recognizable face in the community. By Sunday, residents had established a memorial for him outside the restaurant that was closed Sunday. Residents left flowers outside and said that he was well liked.

Meanwhile, in Middle Village, where Yan lived, elected officials and community leaders visited his widow, Eva Zhao, Sunday to try and console her. He leaves behind a wife and three kids, ages 2, 12 and 14.

“This is a terrible and horrific tragedy and my heart aches for the victim’s loved ones,” said Congressmember Grace Meng, who visited the Middle Village house. “This delivery worker was working hard, trying to earn a living to support his family when he was senselessly shot and killed. The incident underscores the need to combat gun violence throughout our city.”

Yan had immigrated from China in 2001. He had worked delivering food for the Great Wall for more than a decade and had several jobs.

“My husband wakes up every day and just works,” Zhao told the NY Post through a translator Sunday. “He works so hard,” she said.

“I keep crying,” Zhao said, who had been married to Yan for seven years. “He meant everything to me. He took good care of me and the family,” she told the NY Post.

Two GoFundMe pages had been set out for the family, with one established by Forest Hills mom Frances Kweller that had already raised more than $100,000 within 24 hours. Meanwhile, another GoFundMe, put together by a relative, had raised more than $30,000.

Police are scouring video of the area and believe that he was hit by a bullet meant for someone else.

However, according to the NYPost, police are also looking into a disgruntled customer who had issues with the restaurant.

The community, however, was largely focused on Yan’s passing and trying to make sense of how the murder could have taken place.

“The victim of this horrific crime was known throughout our communities, and his memory will be a blessing to all who knew him,” said State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi and Council Member Lynn Schulman in a joint statement.

“With the investigation underway, we are maintaining contact with the 112th Precinct and thank our officers for their response. Make no mistake, this perpetrator will be found, and will face justice to its fullest extent.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

City debunks drone reports over LaGuardia after real emergency unfolds in Queens skies

As drone hysteria swept from New Jersey across the Hudson River to New York City on Thursday night, fueled by online reports of nearly a dozen large drones spotted over Queens, a genuine emergency unfolded in the skies above the borough.

The Port Authority and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a flight out of LaGuardia Airport earlier in the evening was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport after a bird strike blew out an engine on the aircraft.

Op-ed: A new JFK Airport is a doorway to opportunity for local and diverse businesses

Dec. 12, 2024 By Elena Barcenas and Loycent Gordon

As successful small business owners here in Queens, we join all New Yorkers in looking forward to the transformation of JFK International Airport into the world-class airport our city deserves. But a new JFK will serve as more than a global gateway for travelers—for local and minority-owned businesses like ours, it will be a doorway to life-changing opportunities.