A story for every victim

Aiping Diao, 60

Aiping Diao, a 60-year-old man from China, was shot and killed Wednesday, April 13, in the 1300 block of Oahu Street in West Covina, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Diao and his wife, Shu Zhang, a 60-year-old Chinese national, had come from their home in Sichuan, China, to visit their daughter and her family at their Oahu Street condominium, according to authorities.  

The night of the shooting, their daughter was at work and the couple were at home with their son-in-law, Caminero Wang, and their three grandchildren, said Det. Brandon Karmann. 

Officers were called to the condo about 8:35 p.m. after neighbors reported hearing gunshots and the sounds of children screaming, Karmann said.

When officers arrived at the residence, Wang answered the door, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. The officers talked with Wang, Karmann said, but investigators won't reveal what he said. 

The officers discovered Diao and Zhang’s bodies inside the condominium. The couple were shot during some kind of argument, Karmann said, but investigators don't know what the dispute was about. 

Diao and Zhang were pronounced dead at the scene at 9:02 p.m., according to coroner's records. Wang's three children, ages 8, 6 and 3, were found hiding in a bathroom, Karmann said. They were uninjured. 

Wang, a 43-year-old Asian man, was arrested that night and charged with two counts of murder on April 15. The charges include a special circumstance allegation that Wang used a handgun and committed multiple murders. 

Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty or life in prison, according to the news release. Wang is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned May 5 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court's Pomona Branch.

In March of 2013, El Monte Police officers confiscated 23 guns from Wang's home in El Monte, while investigating a domestic violence complaint at the house, according to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The alleged victim of the assault was identified only as "a woman who had been kicked, but required no hospitalization," according to the article.  

Investigators pulled 12 handguns, 10 rifles and a shotgun from the house, according to the article. 

Wang was charged with possessing an assault weapon, according to records from Los Angeles County Superior Court. He pleaded no contest to the charge in November of 2013 and was sentenced to three years of summary probation. According to court records, the charge was dismissed in November 2014. 

Anyone with information about the West Covina shootings is asked to contact the West Covina Police Department at (626) 939-8500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. 

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter. 

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