More than a week after a Bergen Avenue clothing store owner was fatally shot, a memorial continues to grow outside the shuttered business.
Pointsettias, votive candles and poster boards are seen at the Top Plus clothing store on Dec. 28, 2015. Store owner Byungeon Lee, 61, was fatally shot there on Dec. 19. (Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal) More than a week after a Bergen Avenue clothing store owner was fatally shot, a memorial continues to grow outside the shuttered business.
Christmas poinsettias lined the sidewalk outside Top Plus clothing store in tribute to Byungeun Lee, 61, of Palisades Park, who was shot inside the store at about 4 p.m. on Dec. 19. An electronic sign seeking tips to aid the investigation is displayed on the street.
Red glittery Christmas bows were taped to poster boards where customers have been writing messages to the man they called "Mr. Kim."
"Rest in peace. There is no other hope but in Jesus Christ," one person wrote inside a cross drawn on the white board.
On a separate piece of paper, one person wrote a poem, calling for an end to violence.
"Let's stop the violence spreading though the streets -- let's stop the violence taking innocent lives to soon -- let's stop the violence by coming together with a solution."
Authorities have said the fatal shooting was the result of a robbery. No arrests have been made.
A memorial service for Lee, who was married 34 years, was held last week, northjersey.com reported. In a letter to her husband read aloud at the service, Lee's wife said "We say goodbye now, but I pray we will meet again someday in a good place. Until we meet again, rest in peace."
An online fundraiser for Lee's wife and daughter has raised more than $6,600 so far.