Phoutsamay ’Phil’ Norawong, 44, was killed in the early morning of February 26, 2023, after stepping in to de-escalate an argument in Oakland’s Chinatown. Norawong and two friends had left an establishment on Webster Street around 1:15 a.m. and encountered two men who had come from San Francisco. When one friend confronted the men on 8th Street, Norawong pulled his friends away. After the initial confrontation, the two men returned in a Nissan Rogue; one man opened the passenger door and fired into the group. Norawong was struck and died about five hours later at a hospital.

Investigators traced the Nissan Rogue to the home of Terrance Rose and his wife after the vehicle was falsely reported stolen. Rose, recently released from federal prison, was arrested and charged with murder; his wife was charged as an accessory. Ballistics, phone records, and surveillance later identified Patrick Rushing as the shooter, and he was arrested on May 17, 2023. Both men were charged with murder and two counts of assault with a semi-automatic pistol.

Norawong’s family remembered him as a peacemaker who was senselessly killed while trying to do the right thing. If anyone has information about that night or witnessed the shooting, please share what you know.