The flyer above has all the details… the memorial will be at the location where 68-year-old Wen Hui Ruan (previous published reports referred to him as Ruan Wen Hui) was brutally attacked on May 9. He died from the injuries he sustained the next day.
745 E. Sixth St. is between Avenue C and Avenue D, though closer to D…
[Looking west on East Sixth Street]
… a memorial remains in place in front of the building.
Police arrested 20-year-old Jamie Pugh early last Tuesday morning. He has been charged with second-degree murder, robbery and assault.
Ruan, a retired garment worker who lived on Avenue C and East Seventh Street with his wife, had just dropped off his granddaughters when the attack occurred.
To recap what has transpired in this case:
Saturday, May 10
Published reports tell of an attack on East Sixth Street that left a 68-year-old man hospitalized. The NYPD releases a photo of the alleged suspect captured by a surveillance video.
[Photo of suspect via the NYPD]
Sunday, May 11
The NYPD offers $2,000 for any information about the attack.
A tipster sends us the surveillance video that shows the vicious assault and the aftermath … the video shows several people walking by the victim lying injured on the sidewalk without stopping to help.
Monday, May 12
News breaks that the victim, first identified as Ruan Wen Hui, has died from his injuries.
[Photo from 2006 via CBS 2]
His youngest daughter speaks to CBS 2 about her father, who enjoyed playing operas while his wife prepared dinner. "I couldn't believe that this happened to my father because my father is a very good man. He always helps people and he always smiles. Everybody thinks that he’s the best person in this world," she says.
Tuesday, May 13
Police arrest Pugh, who reportedly lives near the scene of the crime, in the early morning on East 14th Street and First Avenue. The arrest is made based on a tip to Crimestoppers. Investigators believe that he sought to rob Ruan, who did not speak English. Pugh leaves the 9th Precinct on East Fifth Street early that evening …
[Photo by Frank Franca]
Wednesday, May 14
Before her son's arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, Charlotte Pugh-Douglas tells reporters that she believes someone slipped the club-drug Molly into his drink last Friday evening while partying. As DNAinfo reports, "Pugh didn’t even know about the attack until one of his friends showed him the chilling surveillance footage over the weekend and said the attacker looked like him."
Judge Bruna DiBiase orders Pugh held without bail.
Thursday, May 15
Ruan's family want his killing treated as a hate crime, the Daily News reports.
[Jefferson Siegel/NY Daily News]
Friday, May 16
City Councilmember Rosie Mendez's office organizes a memorial service for May 19 to "give Hui's family and the community a chance to come together to remember his life and to take a stand against violence in the neighborhood."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: East Village resident dies from injuries sustained in brutal attack
[UPDATED] Reward for info on East 6th Street assault; plus video of the attack
[Updated] Family mourns Ruan Wen Hui as police hunt suspect in deadly assault on E. 6th St.
[Updated] Report: Murder suspect's mother says her son was high on Molly at the time of attack
Report: Family of Ruan Wen Hui wants hate crime charges brought against suspect
I hope this will give some comfort to the family, knowing that the neighborhood does care. This kind of senseless violence is neither a thing of the last nor something to wax nostalgic about. Someone's father, grandfather and husband was murdered while simply walking down the street to his home after dropping off his grandchildren. At least they got to see him one last time and hopefully will have good memories about him on his last day on earth.
ReplyDeleteFor quite a while I thought we had progressed beyond this point of senseless violence. Sadly, I was hugely mistaken. Condolences to the dead man's family. You're not alone. And the perpetrator should and will spend the next 24 years in prison. Not a day less! Let him come out a middle-aged man and reflect on the pain he has caused a decent family.
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