On this day, February 18, 1983, the Wah Mee Massacre took place in Seattle, Washington, when three armed men carried out the largest robbery-motivated mass murder in U.S. history. The brutal attack occurred at the Wah Mee Club, an illegal gambling den in Seattle’s Chinatown International District, where 13 people were killed and one was left critically injured.
The perpetrators Kwan Fai "Willie" Mak, Wai-Chiu "Tony" Ng, and Benjamin Ng entered the club under the pretense of a robbery, tied up the patrons, and executed them in an attempt to leave no witnesses. However, one victim, Kwan Fai "Bill" Choy, miraculously survived despite being shot in the neck and was able to identify the attackers, leading to their arrests.
The massacre sent shockwaves through the community and remains one of the deadliest mass murders in Washington state history. All three men were convicted and Mak was sentenced to life without parole, Benjamin Ng received life in prison, and Tony Ng was convicted of robbery and assault, serving a reduced sentence before his eventual deportation.
80s insight: The Wah Mee Club had been operating as an underground gambling club since the 1920s and was a well known establishment in Seattle’s Chinatown before the massacre.
The perpetrators Kwan Fai "Willie" Mak, Wai-Chiu "Tony" Ng, and Benjamin Ng entered the club under the pretense of a robbery, tied up the patrons, and executed them in an attempt to leave no witnesses. However, one victim, Kwan Fai "Bill" Choy, miraculously survived despite being shot in the neck and was able to identify the attackers, leading to their arrests.
The massacre sent shockwaves through the community and remains one of the deadliest mass murders in Washington state history. All three men were convicted and Mak was sentenced to life without parole, Benjamin Ng received life in prison, and Tony Ng was convicted of robbery and assault, serving a reduced sentence before his eventual deportation.
80s insight: The Wah Mee Club had been operating as an underground gambling club since the 1920s and was a well known establishment in Seattle’s Chinatown before the massacre.
