A Houston father of three is fighting for his life after being shot during a robbery as he returned home from working a long shift at a nearby restaurant.
Blood can still be seen outside the door of the small apartment where Holam Cheng resides with his wife and three kids. On Thursday, Victoria Cheng cried in the arm of her mom at the exact spot in front of their Chinatown-area apartment in the 9200 block of Bellwood.
“My dad, he makes the money for us to eat and pay for the house and help my grandmother. She’s really old and she can’t work,” Victoria, who is a seventh grader and the family’s youngest child, said.
Jianyun Ke, Cheng’s wife, shared a cell phone video of paramedics working to save her husband’s life.
The Houston Police Department said he was shot four times and is currently in critical condition at Ben Taub Hospital.
Eyewitness accounts helped Houston police track down a car that was seen outside the home early Sunday morning. Court records show Cheng identified Quincy Harold from a photo lineup.
Harold is now charged with aggravated assault, but investigators are looking for more suspects.
“You shoot him once,” Ke cried. “Why did you have to shoot him so many times? You want him dead? His hand is almost fallen off. I have run out of tears.”
Cheng and his wife immigrated to the U.S. more than 20 years ago. He has always supported his family with restaurant work. The family of five shares a rundown apartment with another restaurant worker to save money and chase the American dream for their kids.
“I’m a citizen, American citizen,” his wife said. “And my husband is supposed to be taking his citizenship exam next week. Now, he can’t.”
The brutal robbery and shooting are galvanizing Houston’s Chinese American community to help the family. Social workers are walking the family through possible social services and counseling.
“They just want to make sure there is food on the table, and their children have school and education,” Chi Mei Lin, executive director of the Chinese Community Center, said. “They basically tolerate a lot of things.”
HPD Executive Assistant Chief Ban Tien said he will be working on a town hall meeting to let workers in the Chinatown area know their rights as well as resources available.
Meanwhile, Harold has his first court appearance Friday morning.
“I hope he recovers well, and those bad guys get caught,” Victoria said.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe page has been set up to support Cheng and his family.