When Kim Cheung bought Chestnut Liquors in West Orange in 2005, he had high hopes of cultivating the small business into "something nice" for the family-oriented community.

But a deadly shooting and a major drug bust overshadowed Cheung's vision for his store, now shuttered with a "For Sale" sign hanging on the front door. 

"I wish that it didn't turn out that way," said Cheung, an entrepreneur and a father of four. "The building itself has been nothing but a problem since the first day I got it … I regret buying the store."

James 'Tereek' Wilson, a Hillside resident, was gunned down in April this year while working as a store clerk at Chestnut Liquors.

Months later police raided the store in an apparent drug bust, arresting eight individuals, including Chestnut Liquors employee James Brown, Tereek's uncle. Police listed Anthony Joseph, who was also arrested, as an employee at Chestnut Liquors. Cheung, though, says Joseph never worked for him.

"This has been a great financial loss and a great emotional burden," said Cheung, who decided to close the store and sell it after the raid. His decision, though, has still left him feeling uneasy. "I really wish that the prosecutor's would have caught the killers the same night, so Tereek's family can have closure."

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office continues investigating the homicide. Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, said no arrests have been made in the case. Though the shooting was captured on a surveillance camera, officials have released few details on whether the shooting was targeted.

Cheung, who saw the surveillance tapes, said the shooting didn't look like a robbery. He said there was more than $700 in the cash register and no merchandise was taken.

"It seems like Tereek was in the middle of the store, he was stocking up," Cheung said, recalling the video. He said two men entered the store and "ordered him to go on the ground." Cheung said Tereek seemed compliant at first but after exchanging a few words with the men, stood up and "defiantly" walked back the register. Cheung said one of the men seemed to be arguing with Tereek before shooting him three times.

Cheung contends the shooting was not drug related and said police searched the store after the shooting and did not find any drugs in the store. He said Tereek was a "good guy" and a good worker.

Cheung said he considered closing the store after the shooting but was convince by Tereek's uncle to reopen. Brown wanted to continue working in the store to gather information on his nephew's slaying. "He was overwhelmed and felt so guilty with the whole situation," said Cheung, adding that Brown was the one who brought Tereek to work at Chestnut Liquors.

After Chestnut Liquors re-opened in May, Cheung said he began seeing "questionable characters" around his store but kept it open at Brown's request. "(Brown) said the kids were starting to talk and he was going to befriend these guys," Cheung said. "I wanted to see Tereek's killer brought to justice."

Police began patrolling the area in response to neighborhood complaints that drugs were being sold from Chestnut Liquors. Shortly after, police raided the store on a search warrant, arrested eight and confiscated several marijuana plants from Lopez's home down the street.

Cheung left note on the door of his store to apologize to the community. It  read: "We would like to apologize to all our patrons and neighbors for the disgrace and shame our worker brought to this place."

Though the store never made substantial profit, Cheung said he wanted to eventually convert the garage into a take-out restaurant. "It was a perfect match for the area, to have a neighborhood store and the liquor store," he said.

He's trying to sell the building and the liquor store separately, and hopes the store goes to a good family.

"Bottom line is this: I am still the owner and despite the fact I didn't know what was going on over there, it is still my responsibility," Cheung said, blaming himself for not being more attentive to the store over the years. "The place had an absentee owner. I did my best to try to keep an eye on it but I bit off a lot more than I could chew."