Austin police said Taste of Home Handmade Dumplings owner Hao Li shot Chup Prum at the Chinatown mall (10901 N. Lamar Blvd.) in an act of self-defense on July 24. Prum died from his gunshot wound four days later.
Li, who called Austin police to report the shooting, told police that Prum, 57, approached him with a knife and tried to rob him outside his North Lamar restaurant, according to an Austin police news release. Li responded by shooting Prum, who left the scene on his bicycle and rode home.
No charges have been filed against Li and the investigation is ongoing, the police department said. The case was presented to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office on August 5.
Prum’s brother, Chum Prum, told the American-Statesman that his family does not believe Chup could have committed the crime.
“I don’t want to get involved in the investigation. But I can tell you this: Whatever they’re saying about my brother trying to rob him and then getting shot is nonsense in my opinion,” Chum Prum said. “He’s not the type to rob anyone. He’s not on drugs or anything. I know his character. That’s why it pissed me off that they said he tried to rob a guy in a place (Chinatown) where he goes almost every day.”
Chum Prum said his older brother is mute, deaf in one ear and 70 percent deaf in the other. Chup, who lived with his mother just a few blocks from the restaurant, would ride his bike to the mall every day and hang out at stores like the Bambu dessert and beverage shop, Chum said. He would then take his bike on the bus from Braker Lane and North Lamar Boulevard to South Austin and spend the day with friends in Barton Springs before returning with his bike on the bus, usually in the evening.
“He doesn’t mess with anyone. He doesn’t harass anyone,” Chum Prum said. “Why would he want to rob someone when he knows he has to take the bus there every day? That just doesn’t make sense to me. He’s not the type of guy to rob anyone. That’s not his character.”
Chum says his family was told there were no cameras in the area that recorded the incident, and he has “110 percent” confidence that APD will find out the truth about the incident.
“My brother doesn’t usually approach people who don’t tell him anything or who he doesn’t know. That’s why we found it kind of strange,” said Chum Prum. “We’re trying to find out why he went there. We just want to know exactly what happened. Because we don’t believe he did what they’re accusing him of and that’s why he was shot.”
Li did not respond to emails and messages from the Statesman and was not at the restaurant during a recent visit. Taste of Home recently announced plans to open locations in Leander and South Austin.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Austin Police at 512-974-TIPS. Tips can be submitted anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be offered for information leading to an arrest.
The case is being investigated as Austin’s 37th murder in 2024.
