An arrest has been made in the shooting of a liquor store owner and father of four in San Jose, San Jose Police announced Friday afternoon.
Muniunmee Hendrix was arrested on August 11 in Merced, California by officers from the San Jose Police Department's Covert Response Unit and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for homicide.
Hieu "Charlie" Ly, a father of four sons, was with his wife at the store located along the 2800 block of Quimby Road on August 7 when he was confronted by the suspect and shot just before 11 p.m., according to police and the victim's brother, Hao Ly.
The suspect, later identified as Hendrix, fled the scene and was not immediately located. Preliminary investigation revealed the victim was shot as Hendrix was attempting an armed robbery at the store.
San Jose Police say surveillance videos from cameras located in the liquor store were key in identifying the suspect.
"The video was ultimately utilized to aid in the suspect's identification and capture," said Chief of Police, Eddie Garcia.
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Hieu Ly had just finished eating dinner and was resting on the floor of the store, which he has owned for at least 10 years, when the gun-toting, mask-wearing suspect walked in and demanded money, according to the victim's brother.
"He's a good man," Hao Ly said about his brother, holding back tears.
When Hieu Ly heard the suspect's demands, he stood up and refused to hand over any money, according to his brother. The suspect proceeded to shoot Hieu Ly in the chest, in front of his wife.
"My brother, he said, 'No," said Hao Ly. "He stand up and he said, 'No,' and the guy shot him in the chest."[[439902463, C]]
Responding officers found Hieu Ly suffering from at least one gunshot wound, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbor Lesley Davis wasn't surprised to hear that Hieu Ly resisted.
"(He was) not going to back down at all and when I heard he wasn't going to open the register, I said, 'Yep, that's Pops,'" Davis said. "That's the way he would be."
Pointing to a so-called "Wall of Shame" that Hieu Ly had created, Davis called the man "tough as nails" despite being the "littlest thing in the world."
"When you stole out of the store, he would put your picture up here and you weren't allowed back into the store," Davis said.
Others in the neighborhood are also mourning Hieu Ly's death.
"It's a big loss for the community," said neighbor Sukh Ber Singh. "He was well known with a lot of people around here and he was a respected man."
To help pay for the day-to-day expenses for Hieu Ly's widow, the family has set up a GoFundMe page.
A candlelight vigil will also be held in front of the liquor store in East San Jose at 7:30 Friday night.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Mike Montonye or Detective Jason Tanner of the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at 408-277-5283.
