FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 10, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Asian woman attacked in Corona dies after 10 months in coma
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
GuiYing Ma, a 62-year-old Asian woman
who was attacked last year by a man with
a rock, has died aft er spending 10 weeks
in a medically induced coma, her family
announced on Tuesday, March 1.
Congresswoman Grace Meng joined
Ma’s husband, Zhanxin Gao, and the family’s
pro bono attorneys at the law fi rm of
Paul, Weiss, Rifk ind, Wharton, & Garrison
LLP at their offi ce in Manhattan for the announcement
of Ma’s death.
“I am devastated over the passing of
GuiYing Ma and my heart aches for her
family,” said Meng, who also called for
combating the rise in anti-Asian hate and
violence. “I will continue to be here for her
husband and loved ones at this very diffi cult
time. So many in the Asian American community
continue to live in fear due to ongoing
attacks against Asian Americans. We
must continue doing all we can to combat
this heinous violence.”
Ma died on Feb. 22 as a result of “complications
of blunt impact injury of head.” On
the morning of Nov. 26, she was sweeping
the sidewalk next to her home at the corner
of 38th Avenue and 97th Street in Corona,
when she was assaulted by a man who was
sleeping on the sidewalk, according to the
NYPD.
The suspect, who was arrested and
indicted in the attack, had multiple prior
arrests, a long criminal record, and was
known to be a menace in the community,
according to authorities.
Ma was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in
critical condition, where she had stayed
for 10 weeks following the assault. She had
undergone surgery and was treated for a
right skull fracture, facial fractures and
internal bleeding from her brain, among
other injuries, her family wrote on a Go-
FundMe page dedicated to Ma.
Despite being connected to a ventilator
and a feeding tube, Ma responded to her
husband by moving her eyes and tearing
up when he would speak to her at the
hospital. In early February, and just over
10 weeks aft er the attack, Ma awoke from
her coma, and was able to raise her hand
in response to Gao even though she could
still not speak.
During a press conference, Gao spoke
about communicating with his wife in the
hospital.
“I counted in Chinese — one, two,
three, four, fi ve … and then she
could also do the same thing
counting with her fi nger — one,
two, three, four, fi ve — back to me,”
Gao said. “Even though she could
not articulate a word, she could
understand what I was communicating
to her.”
Meng had worked to assist Ma
and her family while she was hospitalized.
In November, she and
several of Ma’s supporters gathered
in front of Elmhurst Hospital for a
silent stand-in for Ma.
Ma, who came to New York four years
ago from Liaoning, China, is the fourth
Asian American in New York City to die
in the last two months as a result of violence
against the Asian American and Pacifi c
Islander (AAPI) community.
Her family is urging tougher law enforcement
to keep the community safe.
Yihung Hsieh, who owns the Corona
property, created a GoFundMe page to
help cover Ma’s medical expenses resulting
from the attack. To date, Hsieh has raised
$203,458.
“
She will be remembered as an outgoing,
friendly and kind individual who took care
of
everyone and insisted on giving to others
even when she had very little to give,” Hsieh
wrote.
Ma is survived by her husband, a son and
two grandchildren. Services for Ma will be
announced aft er her son is able to arrange
travel to New York City, according to Hsieh.
The family thanked the NYPD and
Queens district attorney’s offi ce for seeking
justice for Ma and providing social worker
assistance. Th ey’re also thankful for the
outpouring of support from community
members who have helped them, including
Meng’s offi ce, Senator John Liu, SoarOver-
Hate, the New York Northeastern
Chinese Association, Asians Fighting
Injustice, and the family’s pro
bono attorneys at the law fi rm.
In a statement to QNS, a spokesperson
for the Queens District Attorney’s
Offi ce said they’re “reviewing
the latest developments in this
tragedy and will add or upgrade
any appropriate charges supported
by the evidence. In the meanwhile,
on behalf of the district attorney,
we extend our condolences to the
family.”
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Four arrested, dozens of weapons seized in ghost gun raids
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Four northeast Queens residents
were arrested and charged with possessing
arsenals of illegal ghost guns
in their Bayside and Flushing homes,
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz
announced Thursday, March 3.
Multi-agency raids at the four homes
early Tuesday, March 1, seized dozens
of firearms, including 27 ghost guns,
assault weapons, firearm accessories,
more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition
and high-capacity magazines, and
$50,000 in cash, according to Katz.
The raids followed a long-term
investigation that utilized various
surveillance techniques, intelligence
gathering and state-of-the-art analytics
that focused on individuals who were
purchasing polymer-based firearm
components — parts that do not include
any serial numbers — that can be easily
assembled at home into operable firearms,
Katz explained during a press
conference with NYPD Chief of Intelligence
Thomas Galanti and Inspector
Courtney Nilan, commanding officer of
the Field Intelligence Program.
“We must get the guns off our streets.
We must stop the illegal production of
dangerous firearms that is happening in
homes throughout our neighborhoods,”
Katz said. “Using myriad investigative
tools and working closely with our law
enforcement partners, we will continue
to pursue those who bring these illegal,
deadly weapons into our communities.”
Defendants Andrew Chang, 34, of
Bayside; Kai Zhoa, 45, of Flushing;
Michael Frankenfield, 55, of Flushing;
and Seowong Chung, 35, of Flushing,
were arraigned March 2 before Queens
Criminal Court Judge Anthony Battisti
on three separate complaints charging
them with criminal possession of
a weapon, criminal sale of a firearm,
the unlawful possession of unfinished
frames or receivers and other related
crimes. Katz said all four defendants
do not have licenses to own or possess
firearms in New York City.
“This case, and the dozens of guns,
component parts, and ammunition
seized as part of it, show once again that
the proliferation of illegal ghost guns
is not a passing fad but a continuing
scourge against our citizens, our city,
our way of life,” NYPD Commissioner
Keechant Sewell said in a statement.
“These guns, often ordered online and
shipped to New York City, shoot real
bullets that victimize New Yorkers. But
our joint, intelligence-driven focus on
interrupting the supply chain for these
weapons, and keeping them from hitting
the streets, is intensifying thanks
to the strong partnership between the
NYPD, our Major Case Field Intelligence
Team, and the office of Queens
District Attorney Melinda Katz and
her prosecutors who remain relentless
in pursuing these important investigations
and ensuring safety for all.”
If convicted, defendants Chang and
Chung face up to 15 years in prison
and Frankenfeld and Zhao face up to
25 years in prison.
Photo courtesy of GoFundMe
Photo by Paul Frangipane
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz looks at evidence during a news conference on Thursday,
March 3, 2022. Katz highlighted four recent seizures in Queens that illustrate her offi ce’s eff orts to
slow the spread of “ghost guns.”
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