On September 27, 2023, 50-year-old Xe Lor was shot and killed in Chico, California, during a family meeting about her separation from her husband. The gathering took place in the driveway of a relative’s home on the 2700 block of White Avenue. As Lor was leaving, 53-year-old John Waveng Her retrieved a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol from under his jacket and shot her twice at close range. He then attempted to shoot himself, grazing his head, and fired additional rounds before family members disarmed and restrained him. Lor was taken to a local hospital and died of her injuries.

Investigators say Her had dug a hole earlier that day to hide the gun, retrieved and loaded it, and brought it to the meeting. He later told detectives that when Lor said she wanted to end the marriage he felt compelled to kill her and then himself. Records indicate a 2021 conviction for threatening family members had prohibited Her from possessing firearms, and Lor had moved out and filed for a temporary domestic violence restraining order eight days before the shooting. The couple had been married thirty years and had seven children; three children, including a nine-year-old, witnessed the attack.

Did anyone in the community see or hear anything on the evening of September 27 that could shed light on the events leading up to this killing?