The Night Everything Changed: Community Rallies After Local Shopkeeper Assaulted

 

By Collins Wasike 

A quiet neighborhood was shaken last Friday night after longtime shopkeeper Ting Chu was violently attacked and robbed outside his small business, leaving him hospitalized and the community searching for answers.

“It happened so fast,” Ting recalled from his hospital bed, his voice unsteady. “I was just getting into my car after closing the shop. I didn’t even see them coming.”

According to police, three masked men confronted Ting in the dimly lit parking lot behind his store. The suspects allegedly beat him before fleeing the scene in his car with his wallet, phone, and wedding ring. Investigators are still searching for the attackers.

Ting, 47, suffered multiple injuries, including broken ribs and a fractured arm. But the emotional toll, he said, runs deeper than the physical wounds.

“I’ve lived in this neighborhood for ten years,” he said. “I know the shopkeepers, the kids who ride their bikes past my store. I never thought something like this could happen here.”

Neighbors have since come together, organizing a fundraiser and setting up extra patrols in the area. Messages of support have poured in through social media and at the storefront, where flowers and cards now sit by the door.

“What hurt most wasn’t the bruises or the car,” Ting said quietly. “It was feeling powerless. Like I didn’t matter.”

Police are urging anyone with information about the assault to come forward. In the meantime, Ting focuses on recovery—with help from the community he has served for a decade.

“I just want people to know it can happen to anyone,” he said. “We need to look out for each other. Because no one should ever feel that alone.”

The incident has left a lasting mark, not only on Ting but on the entire neighborhood—a sobering reminder of how fragile safety can be, and how powerful community can become in the face of fear.