FERRIDAY &045; Distance and a large ocean have left Ferriday investigators with a cold case in the November 2004 shooting at the China Wok.

Liang Fung Foo, 37 at the time, was shot seven times on Nov. 24, 2004, and he survived.

But after an extended stay at Alexandria’s St. Frances Christus Cabrini Hospital, Foo returned to his native Singapore to continue his recovery and left Ferriday Police without their expert witness.

&uot;We are still investigating,&uot; Chief Investigator Richard Madison said. &uot;We’ve got some leads, but with the victim out of the country it makes it hard.&uot;

Foo, a manager, and eight other China Wok employees were closing up on a Monday night when the gunman entered the E.E. Wallace Boulevard restaurant wearing a dark mask, dark sweater and blue jeans, Police Chief Robert Davis said the day after the shooting.

The gunman used what police suspect to be a .22 caliber handgun to shoot Foo seven times after demanding that he empty his wallet. Nine or 10 total shots were fired. Witnesses said Foo was struck in the front and back.

At the time the incident was labeled and armed robbery, but since no money was taken Madison said he didn’t believe it was a robbery.

&uot;Shooting someone seven times is not a robbery,&uot; he said. &uot;We are working it from several angles.&uot;

Madison said the first step in a case like this one is to look for similar instances in other towns. Several months ago the department worked with Texas authorities on a case that had some of the same characteristics, but ultimately didn’t draw any conclusions, Madison said.

Since there was no surveillance camera in the restaurant, investigators have had to rely on eyewitness accounts and physical evidence.

&uot;We found the casings, which indicated a semi-automatic or automatic weapon,&uot; Madison said. &uot;It wasn’t a revolver because they don’t shoot seven rounds.&uot;

Descriptions from witnesses and the victim helped police identify a person of interest in the case. Before leaving the country Foo identified a subject in a lineup, whom Madison said FPD is looking for.

But so far the evidence is slim, he said.

&uot;Usually we go back and re-interview the victim a few months later, because he was traumatized after the event,&uot; Madison said. &uot;But we can’t do that.&uot;

After the incident the suspect’s description was released as a black male in his early 20s, about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds with a medium build and a light complexion.

Anyone with any information can call FPD at 318-757-3606.