On the night of February 18–19, 1983, John S. Loui, 48, was managing the Wah Mee Club, an illegal gambling room in the basement of the Louisa Hotel in Seattle’s International District. Shortly after midnight three men — Kwan Fai Willie Mak, Keung Kin Benjamin Ng, and Wai Chiu Tony Ng — entered, produced firearms and robbed the patrons and staff. The attackers bound fourteen people with nylon cords and stole roughly $20,000 from pockets and the cash register.

The robbery turned into a massacre when the gunmen executed their captives with shots to the head. Police arriving about 1:30 AM found twelve dead at the scene and several gravely wounded. Loui was among those rushed to hospital and later died, becoming the thirteenth fatality. A single survivor, dealer Wai Yok Chin, identified the assailants, and arrests followed.

Does anyone have memories of the Wah Mee Club or knew John Loui?