Local News in Brief : Part-Owner of Restaurant Chain Dies of Bullet Wounds

A 41-year-old Tarzana man who was shot in the head several times from close range in his Chinese restaurant died of his wounds early Thursday morning, hospital officials said.

George Fang, a part-owner of a chain of Chinese restaurants in the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County, had been on life-support systems since he was brought to Northridge Hospital Medical Center late Tuesday night. He had been found on the floor of his office after closing time at the Mandarin Wok restaurant in Northridge, police said.

There was no evidence of a robbery and there are no suspects in the murder, but detectives said they are checking for a possible connection to a 1981 incident in which two men attempted to extort several thousand dollars from Fang.