A tragic incident unfolded in a lower Manhattan condo building on Monday night when a 57-year-old woman lost her life while trying to defend her husband and son from violent robbers. Ying Zhu Liu, a home health aide, was found dead in the eighth-floor hallway of the Two Bridges building at 44 Market St. around 11 p.m.
The victim’s husband, 61, was followed into the building by two suspects wearing black ski masks. They attempted to rob him in the elevator, where his son, Lin Rong Yan, was waiting on the eighth floor. When the son tried to intervene, he was pistol-whipped by one of the suspects. Liu heard the commotion and came out with a stick to confront the perpetrators, but tragically, she was shot in the face in front of her family.
The robbers managed to steal Liu’s husband’s cell phone before fleeing the scene. The husband and son were left unharmed, but the suspects were still at large as of early Tuesday.
The building, which also houses a preschool and commercial space on the ground level, was a peaceful place until this horrific incident occurred. The residents were shocked by the violence that had disrupted their community.
The police described one suspect as wearing a half-red, half-black hooded jacket, black pants with a white stripe, and white sneakers, while the other suspect wore a black hooded coat, black pants, and black and white sneakers. Liu’s son did not recognize either of them.
The building’s eighth-floor hallway was marked with bloodstains even 12 hours after the incident. The gruesome scene served as a reminder of the tragic events that unfolded that night.
The investigation into the murder is ongoing, with authorities working diligently to bring the perpetrators to justice. The community is left grieving for the loss of Liu, a dedicated health aide who lost her life in a senseless act of violence.
As the investigation continues, the family and friends of Ying Zhu Liu are left to mourn her untimely death and seek justice for the senseless tragedy that occurred in their peaceful neighborhood.
