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OAKLAND — Tuesday should have been special for Shuo Zeng. He spent the morning of his 34th birthday working on his laptop at a Montclair coffee shop, not far from his Oakland apartment. He planned to celebrate his birthday and ring in the New Year with friends later that night.

Zeng never made it. The research engineer and scientist died Tuesday from major injuries he suffered while chasing thieves who stole his laptop at 11:37 a.m. at Starbucks on Mountain Boulevard.

Prosecutors on Friday charged two men in Zeng’s death, Javon Lee, 21, and Byron Reed, 22, both of San Francisco, and are looking for a third accomplice. Lee is suspected of being one of two men who snatched the laptop, and Reed is accused of driving the getaway car that hit Zeng, who was found on the pavement in the 6100 block of Antioch Street around the corner from the coffee shop.

Reed, who according to court records is on parole for robbery, was charged with special circumstance murder and second-degree robbery. The special circumstance allegation is that the murder was committed during a robbery, according to court records.

Lee was charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree robbery. He also has a prior robbery conviction, the records say.

A LinkedIn profile for Zeng said he had been a research engineer and scientist for Aspera in Emeryville working on deep-learning and computer-network research and development projects since 2015. Before then, he had earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Sichuan University and a doctorate from Kansas State University.

During his time in Kansas, Zeng developed a deep love of photography, turning his camera and multiple lenses on local and natural sights around the university’s campus, as well as on road trips to state and national parks in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California.

In his profile bio for the photo-sharing site 500px, he described himself as “a wanderer who appreciates beautiful and meaningful photography in his spare time. (…) I carry my gear with me whenever I get a chance to see the outside world. Reviewing my work and others’ work is my favorate (sic) thing to do, relaxing and enjoyable.”

Zeng’s parents live in China and were making arrangements to travel to Oakland, authorities said.

His death stunned the busy Montclair shopping district, where residents have covered the Starbucks’ windows with sticky notes to send love to his family and friends. On Thursday, Zeng’s 2015 Tesla Model S still was parked on Mountain Boulevard, steps from the cafe.

According to court documents, police obtained surveillance footage showing Lee and another suspect stealing the laptop from Zeng. Based on surveillance video and witnesses, Reed was identified as the getaway driver. The men were arrested at about 4 p.m. Tuesday at Reed’s sister’s home in the 9500 block of MacArthur Boulevard, where police also found the car.

Both men wore yellow jail clothes at an arraignment Friday afternoon at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland and will return Monday to enter pleas. Reed told the judge he wants to hire an attorney.

Outside the courtroom, Reed’s sister said her heart hurt for the victim’s family but insisted her brother was at her East Oakland home watching her 3-year-old daughter from Tuesday morning until about 3 p.m., though she said she left at one point to run errands. Shaquila Reed, 30, said Oakland detectives showed her surveillance images and “not one picture was my brother.”

“I don’t understand how my brother got wrapped up in this,” she said. “Probably hanging around the wrong people.”

She shouted in protest when the judge announced Lee was being held on $250,000 bail and Reed was being held without bail.

“Why don’t I have bail,” Byron Reed yelled out. He told his sister he loved her and told his girlfriend “Don’t go nowhere.”

“It hurts, it’s not fair, he doesn’t deserve that,” Shaquila Reed said. “My brother is there for me all the time, and now they want to take him from me. It’s not fair.”

Two women who came to support Lee declined to comment after the hearing.

The Oakland Police Department and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information that would lead to an arrest in this case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department Homicide Section at 510-238-3821.