Suspect arrested after man shot dead outside convenience store in Taichung City
Police arrested a suspect this afternoon after a man was shot dead in broad daylight in an outdoor café area of a convenience store in Taichung City at around noon today, January 26.
According to reports, a 49-year-old man, named Lin, and a 51-year-old man, named Zhao, met at a Family Mart convenience store on Jingwu East Road in East District at around noon. The men drank coffee and talked for around half an hour. Witnesses said that no quarreling was heard before Zhao stood up, drew a pistol from his pocket, and shot Lin in the left temple. After Lin fell to the ground, Zhao bent over, fired a second shot at the top of Lin’s head, then calmly walked away.
Paramedics from Taichung City Fire Bureau found Lin without vital signs at the scene of the incident, and Lin was declared dead a short time after arrival at Taichung Veteran’s General Hospital.
Police investigators found two bullet shells and one bullet at the scene of the shooting. A mobile phone and a document left on the table were also taken as evidence.
The suspect was found to have gotten into a car in an alley behind the store, and police quickly identified the suspect via the vehicle’s license plate.
Around two hours after the shooting, Zhao called a TV station to announce that he was about to turn himself in at the Jizhong Police Station. However, Zhao did not show up at the police station. SETN news reported that Zhao had called them and asked for a reporter to show up so that he could air ‘his grievances’, but SETN did not agree to the conditions, and instead called the police and told them Zhao was at the ASEAN Plaza.
Police located Zhao on the roof of the ASEAN Plaza building at around 3:00 pm. Zhao was arrested after a brief negotiation during which Zhao threatened to self-harm. Police seized a modified pistol and six bullets.
According to the investigation so far, Lin, who has criminal records for drugs offences, and Zhao, who has a criminal record for attempted murder, had a dispute over money, and Zhao had harbored a grudge towards Lin for a long time.
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