Man Sentenced In Non-Fatal Shooting That Permanently Injured Roommate

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 55-year-old Columbia man has been sentenced in connection to the non-fatal shooting of a roommate.

Zongping Zhang pleaded guilty earlier this year and has been sentenced to 35 years for attempted first-degree murder in a non-fatal shooting last year.

On Aug. 2, 2022, police responded to a residence in the 8400 block of Oak Bush Terrace in regard to a verbal dispute between two housemates later identified as Zhang and Matthew Ng. After being called out to the home a total of three times to resolve the verbal dispute, police were called back to the residence a fourth time at approximately 7:44 p.m. At that time, witnesses reported that a person had been shot, according to the Howard County Police Department.

Police saw Zhang leave the residence with a firearm, later identified as a semi-automatic shotgun. Ng was found on the floor inside the residence with multiple gunshot wounds to his legs, buttocks, lower back and head. An investigation revealed that Zhang retrieved the shotgun from his bedroom after a verbal dispute with Ng. Zhang then fired multiple shots at Ng as he went up the stairs. Police later discovered that Zhang had purchased the shotgun and the accompanying ammunition from a gun store earlier that afternoon. Ng was treated at Shock Trauma and underwent multiple surgeries resulting in the amputation of his left leg and now has limited to no mobility in his right leg and left arm, according to the prosecution.