Chinese Uber Driver Killed in Los Angeles Serial Shooting

On Tuesday (April 27), a man driving an SUV caused a series of shootings in several locations in and around downtown Los Angeles, killing two and injuring one, including a Chinese man. The suspect was shot and killed during a standoff with police.

NBC Los Angeles and other media outlets reported that Mingzhi Zhu, 42, was an Uber driver who lived in South Pasadena, Los Angeles County. Earlier Tuesday, he was on a work assignment in downtown Los Angeles. That’s when an SUV stopped next to the Cadillac Escalade he was driving and the driver inside opened fire through the window, killing him.

Uber said in a statement that Zhu was on his way to pick up a passenger. The statement said the senseless shooting early Tuesday morning was heartbreaking.

“He worked hard, was gentle and kind.” A spokeswoman said on behalf of Zhu’s family that the man who was killed was a good father and husband.

“This is really a big loss for the family.” The spokeswoman said.

Zhu left behind his loving wife and two children. The two children are 2 and 8 years old.

Police have not yet determined a motive for the shooting, which is tentatively believed to be a random serial shooting.

Suspect in serial shooting killed by police

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the shooter is a man in his 40s or 50s. After he created a series of shootings, he was pursued by police and confronted. He was eventually shot and killed by police as he refused to surrender and repeatedly fired at them.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore later told a police commission meeting that the shooting began at about 12:55 a.m. when the suspect pulled up to a victim’s car and shot him several times. The victim suffered a bullet wound to the head that was not expected to be life-threatening.

About 10 minutes later, another shooting occurred less than a mile away. The suspect approached another vehicle in the driveway of a Starbucks Delaware and backed up, resulting in a crash and an altercation. Police said the suspect then fired into the car, killing a man inside who was with his new wife.

The Los Angeles County coroner identified the victim as Alexis Carbajal, 24.

The gunman then encountered Zhu at about 1:25 a.m. in downtown, about three miles from the Starbucks site. Zhu was driving his car when the gunman pulled up next to him and began shooting at him through the car window, killing Zhu.

Shortly thereafter, the suspect shot at a car at an intersection, Moore said. Police spotted him and began a manhunt. In the process, the suspect also opened fire on a white Tesla.

Fortunately, the driver of the car was not injured.

When the pursuit reached the highway near Orange County (Orange County), it was about 3:30 a.m. LAPD SWAT used a tire breaker to stop the SUV at an overpass in Fullerton, and the suspect began a standoff with police.

During the process, police and the suspect’s family tried to negotiate with him and persuade him to surrender. But the suspect not only refused to surrender, but also shot at the police through the vehicle’s front windshield. As a result, an officer returned fire. When the suspect fired at the officers again, he was shot and killed by police.