Police: Aspiring Chef, 26, Fatally Shot In The Bronx, Possibly Over iPhone
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Bronx man walking home from the subway was killed early Thursday morning before having his iPhone stolen, police said.
The victim, 26-year-old Hwang Yang, was confronted by a gunman at the corner of Cambridge Avenue and West 232nd Street before being fatally shot in the torso, just blocks from his home.
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Yang was pronounced dead after being transported by EMS to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
Police said a man in a grey hooded sweatshirt was seen running from the scene after the shooting. Investigators are now looking for surveillance video in hopes tracking down who committed this crime that's left so many with inconsolable heartache.
"I heard a gunshot, but I was in the back of the building so I thought it was...I mean, it's outrageous," one woman who lives in the area told 1010 WINS' Al Jones.
Another woman, who apparently saw the violence unfold, said the suspect "walked up around the corner" where "there was a van waiting for him. He walked very calmly and they drove off very slow."
On Thursday night, at Yang's home just a few blocks away, his devastated mother was desperately yearning to see her son again. In front of CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez she held his shirt to her face, so she could smell his scent. Yang's father, speaking through a translator, said his son, a restaurant chef, had so much promise.
Korean born, Yang had had only been working as a chef at the Modern, in the Museum of Modern Art, since February, reported Sanchez. Co-workers described Yang as professional and friendly. A spokesperson for the eatery said in a written statement: "Our entire restaurant family is devastated by the tragic news."
On Thursday night the crime scene had been replaced by a growing makeshift memorial, and loved ones praying for justice. A classmate of the victim at Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy placed flowers at the spot where her friend was murdered.
"I just heard the news and I couldn't believe it. I think he went to heaven and rest in peace," she said.
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