Gastonia restaurant owner shot during armed robbery
A business owner was shot after robbers broke into a Chinese restaurant and robbed it at gunpoint, the Gastonia Police Department said.
Two people broke into China City on Davis Park Road right as the restaurant was closing Sunday evening, shortly after 9:30 p.m., according to a police press release.
The robbers entered through a back door, herded employees into the main dining area and emptied the cash register, the press release said.
They also shot one of the owners of the restaurant, who was recovering Monday in a Charlotte hospital.
Dan Dan Li said that her husband, 37-year-old Hong Lin, was shot in the leg during the robbery, but he is recovering, she said. She expects him to be hospitalized for several days.
She said that employees were closing for the night when the robbers showed up, ambushing an employee beside the back door.
"My husband tried to see what happened," she said. "I think I heard seven or eight gunshots."
The robbers were wearing masks, and only their eyes were visible, she said.
China City is a family-owned business. Li said that her uncle opened up China City in 1995, and in 2011, her mother took over the business.
The robbers got away with an undisclosed amount of money. No one was arrested as of 11 a.m. Monday.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gastonia restaurant owner shot during armed robbery
