Honks and sirens blared Friday in Chicago's Chinatown as the funeral procession carrying the bodies of two men who were fatally shot Sunday, Feb. 9 wound its way through the neighborhood.
Weizhong Xiong and Huayi Bian were shot to death in a robbery in the parking lot of a Chinatown apartment building, stunning and horrifying the community.
"It is just unbelievable," said Terry Wilson, a close friend of the men. "None of us ever expected to be saying goodbye to these two men today."
Weizhong's wife clutched his portrait as she exited the memorial service while Bian's aunt walked out carrying her nephew's portrait.
Additional family members weren't able to attend the services due to the coronavirus travel ban.
"There are no words to describe how brutal and how horrible this was. I mean, it's changed me," Wilson said. "We were able to view the bodies and I don't have words to tell you how brutal and violent of an attack this was. I mean, in my whole life I've never seen anything like this."
Both victims were returning from dinner, and getting out of their car, when a man walked up and shot them point blank in the head.
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"Alvin Thomas approached the car, shot Weizhong and then Huayi tried to stop him and ended up getting shot," Wilson said. "They were both shot in the face and skull multiple times."
Weizhong's wife's was with them, but she hid under the car.
Police said they tracked bloody fingerprints to Chinatown Square, and found Thomas with blood on his shoes that matched the victims' DNA.
"We just demand justice on this," Wilson said. "I mean this is horrible... and a severe loss for the Chinese community and Chinatown."
