Xie Yining, a 58-year-old man of Chinese descent, was fatally shot on November 16, 2018, at the China Press office in Alhambra, California. Xie was the chairman and founder of the China Press, a prominent Chinese-language newspaper in the United States. The incident occurred around 9:38 a.m. when the Alhambra Police received a call reporting the shooting. Xie was found with gunshot wounds to the head and torso and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
The coroner's records confirmed the cause of death as gunshot wounds.
The investigation revealed that the shooting was motivated by a workplace dispute between Xie and one of the newspaper's employees, Zhong Qi Chen, a 59-year-old Chinese national residing in El Monte. Chen was arrested at the office on the day of the shooting on suspicion of murder. Initially, he was able to post bond for his $1-million bail and was released on November 19. However, he was rearrested the following day on a Los Angeles County Superior Court warrant charging him with Xie's murder, with the bail set at $6 million. On November 26, Chen pleaded not guilty to murder with allegations that he personally used a handgun and caused great bodily injury and death. The judge later reduced Chen's bail to $3 million, and his next court appearance was scheduled for December 18.
The case was complicated by language barriers, making it difficult for investigators to gather information. Despite these challenges, the police were able to determine that the shooting stemmed from a conversation between Xie and Chen, rather than an argument. There were six other people in the vicinity of Xie's office when the shooting occurred, all of whom were initially detained until Chen's arrest. No one else was injured in the incident.
The China Press, also known as Qiao Bao, is the third-largest Chinese-language newspaper in the United States, with over 100,000 readers in 15 major cities. The paper is owned by Rhythm Media Group, a diversified multimedia and culture services company, which also owns other media outlets. Xie's death was prominently featured on the China Press's homepage but was later removed from the main pages and the organization's English-language website, Sino-US.com. The officials at the China Press did not respond to repeated requests for interviews regarding the incident.
In May 2023, Zhong Qi Chen was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of Xie Yining. The sentencing marked the conclusion of a lengthy legal process that had begun with Chen's arrest in 2018. The case highlighted the complexities of workplace disputes and the tragic consequences that can arise from unresolved conflicts.
