Paterson Chinese Restaurant Owner Shot, Killed In Front Of Wife

A Paterson businessman was shot in the face and killed with his wife sitting next to him as they made the last drop-off of the night from their Chinese restaurant just before 1 a.m. Thursday, authorities said.

Rui Zhou was gunned down in front of this house on East 34th Street in Paterson.
Photo Credit: *GoogleMaps*

Jerry DeMarco

07/26/2018 11:52 a.m.

Rui Zhou, 29, was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson at 1:09 a.m., less than a half hour after police found him shot behind the wheel of his Toyota Highlander after it crashed into another vehicle on East 34th Street, they said.

His wife, Xiaomei Liu, also 29, was in the passenger seat and unharmed, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald said in a joint news release.

The couple “were making the last food delivery for the night from the restaurant which they owned, and he was shot in his vehicle while making the delivery before crashing his car a short distance away,” they said.

This comes 10 days after a 27-year-old Wallington pizza delivery man was shot and killed in his car, which struck a tree outside the Passaic ShopRite. Authorities didn't say whether they believed the killings were related.

SEE: Wallington Pizza Deliveryman Shot Dead, Car Crashes Outside Passaic ShopRite

Valdes asked that anyone with information that could help detectives find the killer contact her office’s tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at (973) 321-1120.

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