whia-con-24-summary-and-bios-9

On July 10^th, 2020, Baron Li was shot repeatedly in the parking lot of his Bellevue apartment complex as he was leaving for work. Despite suffering approximately nine gunshot wounds, responding officers and Fire personnel were able to stem the bleeding and transport Li to Harborview Medical Center. Li survived his injuries, and the investigation into who had attacked him and why began. Beginning with very little information and several potential suspects, the investigation led to an unlikely murder-for-hire scenario involving juvenile hitmen, a disabled child with a trust fund, a medical -malpractice lawsuit, a GPS tracker, a customer service representative in the Philippines, and the Tigard, Oregon Walmart loss prevention team. Over the following three months, over 20 warrants for electronic phone, social media, and tracking data led to a three-prong simultaneous arrest operation. The investigation continued in order to connect the three known suspects, establish a motive, and “bulletproof” the case for trial. The case attracted international media attention at the time of arrest and documentary stories are still in the works.