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Volume XIX • Number 15 • April 26 - May 2, 2012 •
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Local kid, chef on the rise, killed for his phone By MIAWLING LAM and ALLISON SUMMERS The leafy neighborhood of Riverdale has been rocked by the grisly murder of an aspiring chef who was shot and killed during a cold-blooded robbery last week. Police say Hwang B. Yang, a Korean national who lived at 3261 Johnson Avenue with his family, was gunned down for his iPhone on West 232nd Street near Cambridge Avenue at 12:30 a.m. last Thursday. Commanding officer of the 50th Precinct Captain Kevin Burke said Yang, 26, was heading home after clocking off work at the Modern restaurant in Manhattan and was blocks from his house when he was shot. “We think the victim gets off the train at 231 and Broadway, cuts through Ewen Park and gets up to 232 and Cambridge, where he is confronted by the suspect,” he said. “We believe there was a struggle over the iPhone, a firearm is produced and a shot was fired.” Captain Burke said a single bullet from a .38-caliber pistol was fired during the altercation, piercing the victim’s heart and lungs. Yang was immediately rushed
to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Yang is the 50th Precinct’s first murder victim of 2012. According to family members and friends, Yang’s headphones were still in his ears when police arrived at the scene. His iPhone was missing, but his wallet remained untouched, they said. According to an eyewitness, the gunman was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and fled the scene in a silver minivan bearing New York State license plates. As of press time, no arrests had been made and there were no real leads. Police are continuing their investigation and have appealed for more witnesses to come forward. Detectives have obtained surveillance footage showing the victim walking from the subway but have no images of a suspect matching the witness’ description. “It’s going to be a challenging case,” Captain Burke said. “As you can imagine, it’s a very important case, so it’s getting all the necessary resources.” Dozens of reward posters have been plastered near Ewen Park, while a makeshift memorial complete with candles, flowers and rosary beads has been erected at the crime scene.
Family file photo of Hwang Yang, 26, who lived on Johnson Avenue.
Hyun Sub Yang, breaks down after laying her only son to rest after last Monday’s funeral mass. The NYPD Crimestoppers hotline is offering a $2,000 reward, on top of a $10,000 bounty offered by the NYPD’s Chief of Detectives for information leading to an arrest and conviction. A family friend, who works alongside the victim’s mom at Petite Petite Lounge, a nail salon at 5661 Mosholu Avenue, said the case was tragic because Yang had his whole life ahead of him. The woman, who declined to provide her name, said the man came from Seoul, Korea, and was incredibly upbeat about life prior to his death. “He was a really nice, hardworking guy,” she said. “He worked two jobs to try and save money, and he was determined to make it on his own without getting money from his parents. “He was excited because he had just gotten his green card, and he was looking forward to
getting his driver’s license. He was scheduled to take his test on April 30.” The woman said the victim’s mother has been inconsolable since her only son was killed. “She clings to the T-shirt he was wearing the morning before he was killed,” she said. When contacted on Friday, Yang’s distraught sister, Sunah Yang, 24, declined to provide further comments. Hedy Adler, who works alongside the victim’s uncle at Aladdin Cleaners at 3528 Johnson Avenue, described Yang as a true gentleman. “He was one of the finest young men I’ve ever known,” she said. “He was a nice person, hard-working, never smoked or drank, and was careful with his money. I imagine he would have liked to eventually open his own restaurant.” Yang had been working as the full-time garde-manger at the
Modern, an upscale restaurant owned and operated by famed restaurateur Danny Meyer, since early February. Union Square Hospitality Group spokeswoman Jee Won Park said Yang oversaw preparation for the amuse-bouche and cold dishes at the restaurant, located inside the Museum of Modern Art. “He was quiet, professional and friendly and seemed to really enjoy working with our team,” she said on Friday. “We’re just incredibly devastated and shocked by this news. It will take some time for all of us, especially those at the Modern, to really absorb what’s happened.” Colleagues have not planned any specific tributes to honor their fallen comrade, Park said, but that was subject to change. “At this time, we are working with the family to see if there’s Continued on Page 12