El Monte : 2 Murders Investigated

The separate murders of a 20-year-old Cypress College student and a 43-year-old nail salon employee are being investigated by El Monte police who said they have no suspects in either death.

The body of the college student, Ho Fu Chai of Buena Park, was found at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday inside a 1979 Volvo parked at the city recreation lot, 3120 Tyler Ave. Chai, who died of a gunshot wound, was slumped over the vehicle’s steering wheel. No weapon was found and robbery is not believed to be the motive, said El Monte Detective Linda Parrott.

The nail-salon worker, Hiep Van Nguyen of El Monte, died at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Greater El Monte Community Hospital from a gunshot wound he received in an attempted robbery at 7:40 p.m., April 20, at the Hot Nails salon, 11635 Valley Blvd.

Nguyen and three other employees were confronted by two gunmen who ordered them to lie on the floor. Nguyen tried to wrestle the weapon away from one gunman and was shot in the chest by the second person. The assailants were described as Vietnamese, 20 to 22 years old and about 5 feet, 5 inches tall.