July 16, 2023
HOUSTON, TX—A father of three is still fighting for his life after being shot four times during a robbery as he returned home from working a long shift at a nearby restaurant in Chinatown on June 25.
Blood soaked the front door of a small apartment building in a Chinatown-area complex located in the 9200 block of Bellwood earlier this month where Holam Cheng, his wife, and three kids reside.
“My dad, he makes the money for us to eat and pay for the house and help my grandmother. She’s really old and she can’t work,” Victoria, who is a seventh grader and the family’s youngest child, told ABC13.
Houston Police Department stated Cheng was shot four times and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition on Sunday, June 25. Eyewitnesses helped Houston police track down a car that was seen outside Cheng’s apartment early Sunday morning.
Cheng was later able to identify African-American Quincy Harold from a photo lineup. Harold has been charged with aggravated assault, however, multiple suspects are still at large.
“You shoot him once,” Cheng’s wife, Jianyun Ke cried. “Why did you have to shoot him so many times? You want him dead? His hand is almost fallen off. I have run out of tears.”
Cheng and his wife immigrated to the United States more than 20 years ago for a better life. He has always supported his family with restaurant work. The family of five shares a rundown apartment with another restaurant worker to save money and build a better future for their children, according to ABC13.
However, this type of disciplined behavior is still seen as “Asians being rich” because their families still manage to save money and invest in their children’s education while other families complain Asians have too many resources and the system isn’t fair.
“I’m a citizen, American citizen,” his wife said. “And my husband is supposed to be taking his citizenship exam next week. Now, he can’t.”
The ongoing robberies throughout Chinatown have galvanized the Asian-American community to help Cheng’s family. Social workers are also walking the family through possible social service programs.
“They just want to make sure there is food on the table, and their children have school and education,” Chi Mei Lin, executive director of the Chinese Community Center, told ABC13. “They basically tolerate a lot of things.”
ABC13 reports that data from the last 12 months shows 131 robberies were committed in the Westchase-Woodchase Villiage-Point West area where the shooting took place.
To access Cheng’s GoFundMe page, please click HERE
Feature Images via Houston Police Department and GoFundMe