Zhiyuan Chen, identified in news reports as Zhiyuan Ryan Chen, was a 26-year-old international graduate student in urban planning at Texas Southern University when he was fatally shot just after 1:00 a.m. on February 10, 2008. He had attended a Houston Rockets game that evening and later stopped for a late dinner at the Tan Do Chinese Restaurant on Bellaire Boulevard in Houston’s Chinatown. While standing outside the restaurant to answer a phone call, two men approached; one produced a firearm and shot Chen multiple times. Witnesses saw the pair flee the scene.

Police developed descriptions and a composite sketch of the suspected gunman: an early 20s male about 5 feet 4 inches tall in a white baseball cap and white T-shirt, and a second man described as about 30 to 35 years old, about 6 feet tall, 170–180 pounds in dark clothing. Investigators considered robbery as a possible motive but reported nothing appeared to have been taken. The Chinese community, university colleagues, and Chen’s family appealed for information and a memorial scholarship was established in his name. No verified public information establishes that either suspect was identified or arrested.

If anyone knew Chen, saw activity near the Tan Do restaurant that night, or recognizes the described men, please share what you know.