Governor Steve Sisolak looks over Shanghai Plaza in Chinatown during an Asian Community Development Council press conference Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 | 8:35 p.m.
Two Asian community organizations, flanked by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, spoke Tuesday in Las Vegas’ Chinatown to announce that nearly $55,000 has been raised to benefit a ShangHai Taste restaurant worker who was critically injured during a shooting last week.
ChengYan Wang, a waiter at ShangHai Taste in the Shanghai Plaza on Spring Mountain Road, was shot 11 times in the Dec. 20 shooting. Joe Muscaglione, a managing partner for the restaurant, said Wang is still in intensive care at University Medical Center but has been upgraded to critical, but stable condition.
“He has a long road ahead of him,” Muscaglione said, adding that Wang is a model employee and is an immigrant working to support family in China. “The support of this community has overwhelmed us with emotion.”
Metro Police said Monday that Rashawn Gaston-Anderson, 23, was arrested without incident after they received a tip from a citizen. Gaston-Anderson remains at the Clark County Detention Center on counts of attempted murder and attempted robbery with use of a deadly weapon and was denied bail at a hearing Tuesday morning at Las Vegas Justice Court, according to court records.
Wang was cleaning in the restaurant shortly before 3 a.m. when Gaston-Anderson entered through the back door and tried to burglarize the restaurant, police said. Wang intervened and was shot by Gaston-Anderson before fleeing the scene.
Sisolak said he has not personally talked with Wang yet, but said he “represents the best of what Nevada is.”
“He worked to send money home to an ailing mother.”
The governor said Wang’s story was especially touching for first lady Kathy Sisolak, who is Chinese, and also alluded that the Asian American/Pacific Islander community has already faced enough ignorance and hardship since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I want the entire AAPI community to know that you have a friend in the governor’s office,” Sisolak said. “Small businesses (like these) are the backbone of our economy.”
Sonny Vinuya, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, said that a GoFundMe started by the organization has raised nearly $35,000, along with an additional $5,000 in checks from local partners.
“It just goes to show you how caring and compassionate our community is,” Vinuya said. “It makes me even prouder to live in this city.”
“We also wanted (Wang) to feel even though he’s away from his family, he does have a support system here, he does have a family here, a support system here.”
Vida Lin, founder and president of the Asian Community Development Council said her organization has also raised about $15,000 through the fundraising site Mightycause to support Wang’s family.
“This goes to show how incredible our community is when our neighbors need help,” Lin said, adding that the council offices are in the same plaza as ShangHai Taste.
“This incident really hit close to home,” she said.
