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Fujian teenager shot dead in US
By Hu Meidong and Ding Xueping (China Daily Fujian Bureau)
Updated: 2009-08-06 14:31

An 18-year-old young man is dead after a recent shooting in the US. Huang Qianwu died at the crossroads of Vitacom Road and Concord Street in the eastern urban district of Richmond, VA July 27.

According to police, Huang was a delivery worker for a local Chinese restaurant. The case hasn't been solved and police are offering $2,000 for information.

Huang's identity was confirmed with the help of the Washington Fujian Association. Born in Changle, Fujian on October 31, 1991, Huang went to the US in June 2008 and has worked in New York and Chicago. He began his restaurant job in Richmond on July 20 and was killed a week later.

According to Chen Ronghua, head of the Washington Fujian Association, Huang's parents are divorced and he only had a grandfather and an elder sister living in his hometown. To earn more money to pay off some debt, Huang hid his real age so he could find a job in the US.

"Huang's family is poor. He had helped his grandfather do farm work since he was 14 and only finished his middle school education. After working in Fuzhou for several months, he was determined to make a living abroad. His grandfather then borrowed more than 500,000 yuan to send him to America. They still owe more than 400,000 yuan," one of Huang's fellow-villagers said.

The economic downturn has added destabilizing factors to society, giving birth to more crimes, Chen said. He warned all Fujian people working in the US to be careful and contact police at any time.