44-Year-Old Clerk Killed During Attempted Robbery at Alhambra Motel

A 44-year-old woman shot and killed during a robbery at an Alhambra motel was publicly identified Saturday.

She was Alhambra resident Xiuxia Chen, according to coroner's Lt. David Smith.

The shooting was reported just before 11 p.m. Friday at the Ambassador Inn, 2720 Valley Blvd., according to Alhambra police.

The woman now identified as Chen was a clerk working behind the counter of the motel when she was gunned down by the robber, according to Deputy Trina Schrader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is assisting Alhambra police in the investigation.

The woman was discovered bleeding in the motel office by a fellow employee who called for help, Alhambra police Sgt. Richard Aguayo told the Pasadena Star News.

She was shot at least one time in her torso and died at the scene, Schrader said.

The male suspect fled the location in an unknown direction and it wasn't known whether he took any property, according to Schrader.

Chen, a mother of two, was married for 23 years. 

Her husband says she was a loving woman and he is heartbroken following news of his wife's death. 

"It's a senseless act ... please help my family," the victim's husband Armando Escandor pleaded. "All I need is justice." 

Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage of the shooting. 

NBC4's Jane Yamamoto contributed to this report.