A man will appear before court accused of stabbing a hardworking delivery rider to death.
Jianming Feng, 47, who worked for food delivery platform HungryPanda, was found with stab wounds to his chest on Frederick Way in Melbourne’s CBD just before 8.10pm on Friday.
Despite efforts to revive him, Feng died at the scene. Another rider, aged 34, was also allegedly attacked and was rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow
Police allege an altercation broke out after the duo confronted a man who was found “tampering with their bikes”.
Fellow riders attempted to chase down the man but he ran away from the scene.
Police arrested a 51-year-old man on Saturday and has since been charged with murder and intentionally cause serious injury.
He will appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Feng had hoped to reunite with his family in China within the next year or two. Credit: Feng’s family
Family loses its breadwinner
Feng moved to Australia from China’s Shaanxi Province about nine years ago, hoping to earn enough money to support his family back home.
Be the first to know: Add 7NEWS as your preferred news source on Google
He left behind his wife and two children in their 20s, and had not returned to China since arriving in Australia in about 2017.
Speaking to 7NEWS.com.au, his wife, Xu, 52, said her husband had planned to return home in another year or two, possibly when their son got married.
“We had elderly parents and young children to support. He planned to go overseas for a few years to earn some money,” she said.
Feng was also helping support his elderly father, who had suffered a stroke and was living in a nursing home.
Xu said the nursing home cost the family between 4000 and 5000 yuan ($A800–$1000) a month.
“He was the main breadwinner in our family. Now that he’s gone, we don’t know what to do,” she said.
Xu last spoke to her husband via video call about 1.50pm on Friday, just hours before he was killed.
Man dies after suspected stabbing, another injured in Melbourne’s CBD Credit: 7NEWS
Feng told her he was busy with deliveries but expected work to quieten down once the school holidays began and Chinese students returned home.
“He told me he’d send me a photo for his ID renewal in a day or two. I said it wasn’t urgent, and he said there was no need to rush,” Xu recalled.
“I never imagined those would be his last words to me.”
Xu said she frantically tried to contact Feng after hearing about the incident, struggling to believe what had happened.
The couple, who had been married for almost 30 years, video-called almost every day, and Feng would usually answer straight away.
But this time, no matter how many times she called, there was no answer.
Xu said she later came across a video circulating online showing a delivery rider sitting on the floor before gradually slumping over.
“At first, I couldn’t believe it. But when I saw the footage, I recognised his delivery bag,” Xu said, fighting back tears.
“We video-called almost every day, so I knew exactly what bag he carried. I recognised his face straight away.”
Feng moved to Australia nine years ago to support his family back home in China. Credit: Feng’s family
Xu remembered her husband as a cheerful and friendly man who loved talking and making people laugh.
His children described him as hardworking, optimistic and responsible, saying he lived modestly and saved wherever he could to support his family back home.
Feng’s devastated family is now calling for the person responsible for his death to be brought to justice, while urging HungryPanda to take responsibility and provide support.
They also called on local authorities to improve public safety and help the family travel from China to Australia as soon as possible.
“His life can’t just be taken away like this, as though it meant nothing,” Xu said.
Two Aussies miraculously survive helicopter crash in Indonesia
1 min read
Man suffers head and hand injuries in alleged sword attack
1 min read
