Alphonso Joyner Convicted in Fatal Shooting of 71-Year-Old Woom Sing Tse in Chicago’s Chinatown

In a Chicago court, a jury has delivered a guilty verdict in the trial concerning the tragic shooting of a 71-year-old man in the Chinatown district. The case, which has lingered in the community’s memory for nearly four years, concluded with Alphonso Joyner being found guilty of first-degree murder.

The victim, Woom Sing Tse, was fatally shot back in 2021 while taking a walk near an elementary school in the bustling Chinatown neighborhood. This senseless act of violence not only shocked the local residents but also raised concerns about public safety.

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The jury reached their decision swiftly, taking only about an hour of deliberation to convict Joyner. Throughout the trial, prosecutors did not present any specific motive behind the shooting, leaving the community to grapple with the senselessness of the crime.

This verdict brings a sense of closure to a case that has haunted the city, though the unanswered question of why it happened lingers in the air.

Prosecutors did not claim any motive for the shooting during court proceedings.

“This senseless act of violence robbed Woom Sing Tse’s family of a beloved and doting grandfather, and it traumatized the entire Chinatown community. While today’s guilty verdict cannot erase the pain and grief of Tse’s loved ones, we hope this outcome provides some comfort in knowing that justice has been served,” a statement from Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke read.

The shooting of the 71-year-old man in the middle of the day across the street from an elementary school angered many in the community.

Tse was taking a walk in the 200-block of West 23rd Street in the heart of Chinatown. That’s when police said Joyner, who was 23 years old at the time, fired numerous shots from a car in the street. Then, he got out of the car and stood over Tse before firing more shots.

Prosecutors said a total of 22 rounds were fired.

The Chinatown neighborhood watch responded quickly that day, providing police with numerous videos from security cameras. Police used license plate identification to locate the suspect within an hour of the shooting.

Tse’s family has been waiting for the trial, hoping for justice.