MAXTON — Police are seeking a man suspected of shooting the owner of a downtown restaurant during a Saturday night robbery.
Yi Liang Ni, owner of the King Chef Chinese Restaurant at 116 N. Patterson St., was shot once in the arm and in the abdomen, according to Maxton Police Chief Tammy Deese. A spokesperson at Scotland Memorial Hospital said Ni was discharged at 1 a.m. Sunday.
Police are looking for a man of medium-large build with medium brown skin, short black hair and a short black beard who was wearing khaki shorts and a white T-shirt, Deese said. The man is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and appears to be in his late 20s or early 30s, she said.
According to Deese, officers responded to the restaurant at 9:15 p.m. Saturday and found Ni shot and an undisclosed amount of money missing.
The restaurant was open as usual on Monday with Nancy Gao working behind the counter as her husband, Ni, rested at home. Gao learned of his injuries via a phone call from her brother, who also works in the restaurant.
The incident has left them feeling “very scared.”
“We’ve been here 10, 15 years, never had anything like this,” she said.
Anyone with information can call Maxton police Lt. William Davis at 910-844-5667.
Abbi Overfelt can be reached at 910-506-3023.