A man has been charged with murder after a delivery rider was stabbed to death while working, leaving his family bereft and a city in mourning.
On Friday night, HungryPanda delivery rider Feng Jianming, ۴۷, and another rider confronted a man allegedly tampering with their bikes in Melbourne’s city centre.
An altercation ensued and the man, a ۵۱-year-old, is alleged to have stabbed both riders.
Emergency services rushed to the scene on Frederick Way, but Feng could not be saved.
The second rider, ۳۴, was taken to hospital with serious injuries, where he remained on Monday.
The ۵۱-year-old was arrested by police on Saturday and on Monday morning was charged with one count of murder and intentionally causing serious injury.
Feng, originally from China’s Shaanxi Province, had been in Australia for about nine years.
His wife, Xu, their four parents and two children all relied on his hard work to get by at home.
The news of Feng’s death reverberated through Melbourne and gig worker communities in Australia and abroad.
Mourners left floral tributes and notes near the state library over the weekend in his memory.
Some cards expressed sympathy for his family, while others vented grave frustrations with messages such as “city of criminal” and “Asian lives matter”.
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up by the Melbourne Chinatown Business Association had raised almost $۳۹۰,۰۰۰ by Monday morning to help Feng’s family with emergency travel and funeral expenses.
Food delivery company HungryPanda said it was assisting the family with visa arrangements, funeral expenses, financial support and insurance.
The ۵۱-year-old man was remanded in custody to appear before Melbourne magistrates court on Monday.
