ST. LOUIS – Current and former employees of the St. Louis Kitchen gathered Wednesday in the parking lot where their boss was shot and killed on May 30. A cook was wounded in that shooting. Both men were walking to the parking lot after closing the business for the night.
Fa Ming Pan was known as a caring owner. He went by the name Randy. Customers and employees say he provided good food and offered deliveries in a neighborhood where few businesses provided a delivery option.
“He worked seven days a week,” said Charlmella Tate, assistant manager. “This was his life.”
Randy was married with two children.
“The wife had to come home and tell the kids their daddy’s gone,” said John Walker, a former employee.
Tears formed in his eyes as he said the shooting made no sense.
“Nobody had nothing bad to say about his man,” said Clara Holmes, a former employee.
She called for the St. Louis community to unite to prevent violence.
Tate said the wounded cook’s family is in China. She is trying to coordinate efforts to help the families of both victims.
“I’m just disappointed in our city,” said Layal Jones, a former employee. “We got to do better.”
There are surveillance cameras outside the St. Louis Kitchen and other nearby businesses. Friends hope anyone with information about the shooting will join them in rejecting violence and recognizing the grief, trauma, and loss that come with it.
“I just want justice for Randy,” Tate said. “That’s all I want.”
Anyone with information can also contact the homicide division of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department at 314-444-5371. If you want to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).
