14-year-old Hellen Yu, a student of Edward P. Yorke High School, will not get to see her second year at the school two weeks from now, because she died while undergoing treatment at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for two gunshot wounds she sustained to her lower back.
She was caught in the crossfire when a gunman, who was trying to rob her family’s store at around 10:30 a.m. today, opened fire at her father, Brian “Papagayo” Yu. He was hit twice: once in the belly and once in the left arm. Her mother, Lilly Yu, was pistol-whipped by the gunman.
Amandala spoke to several witnesses who described the events that led to the shooting. We were told that Brian Yu, a naturalized Belizean businessman, was outside his store, on Iguana Street Extension, trying to fix his vehicle when three men without masks parked their bicycles. After Yu went into the establishment to take in a new stock of grocery that had just arrived; the men followed him inside.
The descriptions of the men are as follows: one was dressed in a royal blue T-shirt with white stripes, a pair of long jeans pants and a brown hat (This individual turned out to be the gunman.); another man, unarmed, with dreadlocks, was wearing a baby-blue warm cap, a blue and white T-shirt, and jeans pants; and the third man, unarmed, was wearing a black shirt and jeans pants.
Reports are that the man with the royal blue T-shirt and brown hat went into the burglar-barred section of the store, behind the counter, pulled out a black .9mm handgun and demanded cash, after which he hit Lilly, causing her face to swell.
Brian Yu then made an attempt to draw his licensed firearm, but the gunman opened fire, hitting him twice, and also hitting Hellen Yu, the eldest of three children, twice.
Brian collapsed on the ground and he dropped the firearm, at which point the gunmen grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash and phone cards and all three men fled on their bicycles.
Brian, Hellen, and Lilly Yu were rushed to the hospital and Lilly was treated and shortly thereafter released for the swelling from the pistol-whipping. Brian is currently listed as stable, but unfortunately, Hellen died while undergoing treatment.
Lilly was distraught with grief when she returned to the store and was unable to give us any comments.
Residents were shocked to hear that Hellen Yu died. They described her as very intelligent and very friendly, and say that she did not deserve to die in the manner in which she did.
Some witnesses say that the men were staking out the establishment specifically to attempt to rob a Belikin delivery truck which was scheduled to make a delivery today. However, the driver of the truck reportedly figured out what the men were up to, and decided not to stop at Yu’s Store.
The robbers then reportedly decided to make Yu’s store their secondary target.