Man Who Settled Decades-Old Chinese Score In Sunset Park Gets 40 To Life

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — A man who settled a decades-old Chinese score by killing the father of his old neighbors after a wedding in Sunset Park will spend at least the next 40 years in prison, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.

Wu Long Chen, 46, was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison for the 2015 killing. Chen followed Ying Guan Chen, 68, out of the wedding reception at Golden Imperial Palace in Sunset Park. At a nearby street corner, Wu Long shot Ying Guan in the head, chest and arm, the D.A.'s office said.

Ying Guan stumbled into a nearby Popeye's, saying "I’m going to die; I’m going to die," before collapsing on the floor, the D.A.'s office said.

"This was a particularly egregious and senseless murder – an elderly man who had done nothing wrong was shot in cold blood over an old dispute oceans away of which he had no part," Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "This defendant was caught on video stalking, following and, finally, shooting this innocent victim to death in the street. Today’s lengthy sentence is just, given the horrific nature of this crime."

Wu Long, who lived on the Lower East Side, fled New York City, flying to Texas in the hopes of making it to Mexico, authorities said. He was arrested by police before making it to the border.

The street corner ambush followed frequent and intense fights in China between Wu Long and Chen's sons over a planned expansion to his property that would have hovered over Chen's homes. The dispute over Wu Long's expansion plans grew so intense that it resulted in a family-on-family fight that Wu Long said had resulted in a serious injury to one of his relatives.

That injury, and the grudge that came with it, haunted Wu Long for years and across continents.

"Since he couldn’t find the victim’s sons he sought retribution by killing the victim instead, even though he had no involvement in the dispute," prosecutors said.

Image via Brooklyn District Attorney's Office