Police Shoot Suspect Dead in Kaohsiung City
Police opened fire on an armed suspect in Kaohsiung City this morning after the man allegedly aimed his gun at an officer and pulled the trigger. According to media reports, the gun jammed, and officers returned fire. One bullet hit the suspect who later died in hospital.
United Daily News reported that police from the Public Safety Corps of the Kaohsiung City Police Department approached a suspicious car at around 3:30am in Sanmin District, and ordered the 3 male occupants to exit the vehicle. The men refused.
One of the officers drew his pistol and ordered the men to get out of the car. A 43 year old suspect named Chen, who was sitting in the back seat, opened the door and aimed a pistol at the officer and pulled the trigger. Both officers immediately returned fire. According to the United Daily News report, a total of 22 shots were fired by the officers, one of which hit the suspect in the left abdomen.
The gun battle occurred outside a 24 hour Carrefour supermarket.
Doctors at a hospital in Kaohsiung told media that the bullet hit the suspect’s left hip bone and lodged in the right lung, causing massive internal bleeding. The suspect did not respond to medical treatment and was declared dead.
After the two other suspects were restrained, a search of the vehicle revealed two sub-machine guns, four modified pistols, and 305 rounds of ammunition. A quantity of amphetamine and heroin along with NT$495,000 cash were also found.
The dead suspect was wanted on charges of armed robbery, drugs offences, and intimidation. Another suspect, named Hong, was on the wanted list for drugs offences.
Chen had been arrested in 2004 after firing shots in a medical clinic. According to Liberty Times Network, Chen’s older brother took him to the clinic for drug detoxification treatment. However, Chen wanted to leave the clinic, and when medical personnel attempted to block him, he drew a Beretta pistol and fired shots into a metal door.
Police Bodycam Video
Video of Weapons and Confiscated Evidence
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