A food delivery worker was shot to death while riding along a Queens street on Saturday night, police reported.
The shooting happened at about 9:34 p.m. on April 30 near the corner of 108th Street and 67th Drive in Forest Hills.
Officers from the 112th Precinct, in responding to a 911 call about shots fired at the location, found the victim — Zhiwen Yan, 45, of 52nd Avenue in Elmhurst — unconscious and unresponsive with a bullet wound to his chest.
Citing police sources, WABC-TV reported that Yan worked for a nearby Chinese food restaurant, The Great Wall. It’s not clear, at this point, whether he was deliberately targeted, according to the report.
Police sources said Yan was shot while riding his scooter heading to a delivery. The suspect who shot him apparently fled in a light silver/tan sedan that was last seen heading eastbound along 67th Drive.
EMS rushed Yan to Elmhurst Hospital, where he died a short time later.
Community residents are now pitching in to help Yan’s family. Local resident Frances Kweller launched a GoFundMe page for Yan, describing him as a hard working man who came to the U.S. from China, and had worked in food delivery for more than 20 years. He leaves behind a wife and three children, including a 2-year-old.
“Please help this family raise college funds as they are grieving with his loss and income for his family,” Kweller wrote.
As of 2:10 p.m. on May 1, close to $20,000 had already been raised toward a goal of $100,000.
On Sunday afternoon, Congresswoman Grace Meng, state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi and City Councilmember Lynn Schulman, all of whom represent the area, issued a statement: “We are heartbroken after last night’s shooting on 108th Street and 67th Drive. The victim of this horrific crime was known throughout our communities, and his memory will be a blessing to all who knew him. 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.”
So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, law enforcement sources said.
Anyone with information regarding the homicide can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
It was the second homicide to occur in the usually-quiet 112th Precinct in the month of April, which had no murders in all of 2021.
On April 16, Orsolya Gaal was brutally murdered at her home on Juno Street in Forest Hills; she had been stabbed more than 60 times and left in a bag dumped at nearby Forest Park.
Days later, police arrested David Bonola — a handyman who allegedly had an affair with Gaal — on charges that he killed her in a crime of passion.
