Around 12 30 p.m. on Sunday, 32-year-old Yujun Ren of Philadelphia arrived at the Middletown Township Police Department with his attorney and turned himself in. He told detectives he had shot a woman and then led them to a home on the unit block, also described as the 20 block, of Outlook Lane in the Oaktree section of Bristol Township in Levittown.
When Bristol Township officers arrived, they found Yuan Yuan Lu sitting in the driver’s seat of her white Hyundai Kona. She had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators found a bullet hole through the partially shattered driver’s side window and recovered a small-caliber shell casing beneath the vehicle. Police later said Ren admitted he fired through the front driver’s side window.
Bristol Township Sgt. Jason Mancuso said the case was domestic in nature and outlined what detectives believed about the couple.
“All we know is that there was some kind of domestic relationship. We believe the couple resided in Philadelphia, and at some point, the relationship had taken a turn for the worst and the victim had come back to her residence in Bucks County.”
Lu and Ren had dated for nearly a year, according to Lu’s cousin Natalie Truong. Truong said Lu confided in her about abuse during the previous week and that she encouraged Lu to report it to the police.
On Saturday night, just hours before she was killed, Lu went to the Philadelphia Police Department and reported that Ren had sexually assaulted her earlier that day at his South Philadelphia home. Court documents reference a recorded interview in which Lu told detectives she decided to end the relationship, packed her belongings, and blocked all communication with Ren. She told officers she was afraid of him and that he carried a gun everywhere. The documents state she planned to move her belongings while he was at work because of that fear.
“All she wanted to do was leave. Just to leave him,” Truong said.
Investigators later reconstructed Ren’s movements using license plate reader data. Beginning around 5 40 a.m. Sunday, Ren drove his silver Lexus behind Lu’s vehicle through intersections in Bristol Township and Levittown, staying only two to three seconds behind her. A Ring camera on Outlook Lane captured video at about 5 45 a.m., showing Lu’s car passing by with Ren’s vehicle trailing directly behind her.
Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan described what investigators found as a “chilling course of conduct.” In a written statement, he said,
“Yesterday’s tragic event is a sobering reminder of the lethal nature of domestic violence. After the victim courageously reported a sexual assault … evidence showed Ren began stalking her vehicle in the early morning hours.”
Court documents detail what Ren told police about the confrontation outside Lu’s car. He said Lu made “hurtful” comments and took their cats and dogs, so he pulled a handgun from his waistband “to scare her,” and the weapon discharged. Investigators said Ren told them he “accidentally killed his girlfriend.”
Records show Ren held a valid concealed carry permit and had a 9mm handgun registered in his name through the Pennsylvania Record of Firearm Sales. Investigators later said Ren’s aunt turned over a Mossberg 9mm handgun to police.
Neighbors on Outlook Lane described the impact on their street. Dan Bogan said,
“It’s tragic. She was trying to get out. She was trying to do the right thing.”
Peter Gevaras said his wife believed she heard what sounded like a gunshot around 1 30 a.m., though police did not publicly connect that sound to the killing.
Kelly Wallin remembered Lu as friendly.
“She always said ‘Hi. Good morning. Your children are beautiful. Have a good day.’ Very sweet.”
Another neighbor recalled seeing the couple together before the shooting.
“Anytime I saw them, they were always hugging each other or playing around… she’d jump on his back… never seen anything like that coming. It’s shocking.”
A longtime resident added, “We’ve got a good neighborhood… pretty much our neighbors are all great people, so this was a tragic thing for all of us.”
Ren was arraigned late Sunday by District Judge Corryn Kronnagel on charges of criminal homicide, stalking, and possession of an instrument of crime. He was denied bail and taken to the Bucks County Correctional Facility.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by Bristol Township Police and Bucks County detectives.
Police asked anyone with information to contact Detective Emilyann Maialetti at 267-812-3024 or [email protected].
Truong said of her cousin, “We’re still processing a lot of it. It still doesn’t feel real.”
She added, “I want them to remember her as a really happy, strong girl. I don’t want them to see her as a victim because she wouldn’t want to be seen like that.”
Lu’s family began raising money for funeral expenses and to bring relatives from China to Bucks County.
