San Bernardino County prosecutors have charged Jianquan Bo, 66, of Irvine with murder in the killing of Shukur Aikebaer, 60, in a case that authorities say escalated from a business dispute into a planned ambush. Aikebaer was allegedly shot and killed by another suspect, Zhengfeng Bo, 67, before deputies fatally shot Zhengfeng Bo during a traffic stop on July 29.
District Attorney Jason Anderson stated that Jianquan Bo is accused of orchestrating the kidnapping even though Zhengfeng Bo allegedly fired the fatal shots. Investigators believe the suspects and the victim were involved in a deteriorating business relationship, possibly related to financial losses or company decisions. The attack reportedly began around 10:14 p.m. when the two men drove to Aikebaer's Chino Hills home.
Detectives theorize that the suspects first cut the power to Aikebaer's residence to lure him outside. When Aikebaer emerged to investigate the power outage, authorities say Zhengfeng Bo shot him in the torso. The suspects then allegedly forced the wounded man into the trunk of their Nissan Altima and drove away.
A neighbor's 911 call reporting gunfire and providing a vehicle description alerted sheriff's deputies, who located the car. A brief pursuit of approximately two miles ensued before the vehicle stopped in Chino Hills. Sheriff Shannon Dicus indicated that deputies at the time had no indication that anyone was inside the trunk.
According to officials, Jianquan Bo exited the passenger seat of the stopped vehicle immediately, drawing officers' attention despite a Mandarin language barrier. Simultaneously, Zhengfeng Bo reportedly exited the driver's seat, walked to the trunk, opened it, and fired a shot into Aikebaer, striking him in the head. Deputies then opened fire, killing Zhengfeng Bo. Aikebaer was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prosecutors charged Jianquan Bo with murder under California's felony murder rule, alleging his knowing participation in the kidnapping that led to Aikebaer's death. "We allege that Mr. Bo knew exactly what the plan was when they went to the victim’s home, participated in what led up to the death of Mr. Shukur, and that’s why we filed murder charges against the surviving suspect," Anderson said. Prosecutors have also filed a special circumstance allegation that the killing occurred during the commission of a kidnapping, which could make the case eligible for capital punishment.
Investigators are continuing to review business records and evidence seized from the suspects' Irvine business to determine the full motive behind the killing. Aikebaer's family described the incident as an unimaginable tragedy in a GoFundMe campaign started for them, noting that his wife and daughters were home during the attack.