Dr. Lili Xu, a 60-year-old dentist from Oakland, was shot and killed on August 21, 2022, in the Little Saigon neighborhood of Oakland. She ran a dental practice serving Oakland’s Chinatown and Castro Valley and was described as well regarded for her professional skills and compassionate nature. Surveillance footage shows an older model Lexus sedan approach while Dr. Xu was with her longtime partner, Nelson Chia, and multiple gunshots struck her twice in the back. She was taken to hospital and pronounced dead that evening.

Investigators characterize the killing as a murder-for-hire. Authorities say Chia and another man, identified as 33-year-old Hasheem Bason of Stockton, were arrested in connection with the case and that Chia orchestrated the plot for financial gain, allegedly seeking control of Dr. Xu’s assets. Reports say Chia used threats against Bason to coerce him into participating.

Did anyone in Oakland’s Chinatown or Little Saigon see the Lexus or notice anything unusual that afternoon?