In a shocking incident that occurred last month late at night on East Broadway in Manhattan’s Chinatown in New York City, 16-year-old Dante Schaller and his accomplice followed Chinese residents into a building to commit a robbery, ultimately leading to the tragic death of 57-year-old Ying Zhu Liu from Fujian, who tried to protect her husband and son. Schaller has been charged with murder and robbery, and he will be tried as an adult.
The initial report was first covered by the New York Post. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office stated that Schaller had just turned 16 days before the crime, which is why he is being treated as an adult in the legal proceedings. Reports indicate that Schaller, who had prior records of assaulting police officers, appeared in court before Judge Stephen Antigani wearing a black shirt, a blue tie, and refused to plead guilty.
According to reports, Schaller’s lawyer, Shari Vrod, postponed the bail application, resulting in Schaller being held in custody until his next court appearance scheduled for December 9.
Details obtained from the original police report provided by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to the Epoch Times revealed that around 10:50 pm on September 9, Schaller and another masked accomplice, both African American, followed the victim Shen Yan into the high-end apartment building at 44 Market St in Chinatown on East Broadway. Upon reaching Shen Yan’s floor in the elevator, Schaller and his accomplice brandished firearms, stealing Shen Yan’s Samsung phone and $100 in cash.
Shen Yan warned his son Lin Rong Yan, who was waiting in the hallway to come in, “Don’t come over, they have guns!” Despite the warning, Lin Rong Yan rushed into the elevator to assist his father and engaged in a physical struggle with the robbers.
The altercation continued to the staircase near their apartment door, where Shen Yan’s wife, the deceased Ying Zhu Liu, intervened to help. Tragically, Shen Yan witnessed one of the robbers shooting Liu in the head, causing her to collapse in a pool of blood in the hallway, resulting in her immediate death.
After the crime, Schaller and his accomplice fled the scene through the staircase. However, police reviewed surveillance footage in the area and found that the two were present unmasked at a delicatessen grocery store on the corner of Hester St 40 minutes before the robbery. Schaller was wearing a long-sleeved red hoodie at that time.
On the 10th day after the incident, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Schaller’s residence on East 167th Street in East Harlem, Manhattan, and discovered a 9mm bullet, similar clothing worn during the crime, leading to the on-site arrest of Schaller.