4 Facts You Should Know About The Fatal Shooting Of 2 Men At A Sibu Cafe
A lone gunman carried out the attack in broad daylight.
By Tang Ruxyn — 06 Oct 2017, 12:13 PM
Two men were fatally shot in broad daylight yesterday, 3 October
The incident happened at about 12.15pm when the duo was having lunch with their friends at a cafe in Lorong Pahlawan in Sibu, Sarawak.
It was reported that one of their friends, a female Chinese national, was sitting on the same table with the victims when the incident took place. She escaped unhurt.
1. The gunman had shot the victims twice each at close range
The two victims have been identified as Lau Ngik Yin, 47, and Loh Lik Siong, 21. It was learned that both the victims died on the spot.
The shop operator told police that the suspect was wearing a helmet and red-coloured jacket when he entered the premises. He then approached the victims before firing four shots from a pistol.
"The suspect, who was about five metres away from the victims, immediately fled the scene on a motorcycle," Sibu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Zailanni Amit was quoted as saying by New Straits Times (NST).
2. One of the victims had escaped two similar shootings just a few years ago
In November 2012, a shootout happened in an apparent attempt to assassinate Lau while he was having lunch with his wife and cousin in Lorong Pahlawan. Gunmen opened fire at Lau, but he survived the attack. Unfortunately, his wife, Law Leh Kuong, died during the incident.
Two years later in 2014, Lau was a target of assassination once again. The Borneo Post reported that he was at an eatery in the same area with a friend and accompanied by his bodyguard when three men pulled up in a car and fired a shotgun at him.
It is learned that Lau, who is said to be involved in the timber and entertainment businesses, escaped with minor injuries to his fingers while one of his friends was wounded.
3. Lau was previously charged for allegedly conspiring with a group to murder a woman
In 2015, a Mongolian woman at Dataran Bandar Utama in Selangor was shot at four times in a drive-by shooting. Investigations revealed that the victim was wrongly shot and injured by mistake as she was not the target.
A total of five people, including Lau and two former policemen, were charged for criminal conspiracy. However, they were eventually acquitted in July 2016.
4. The police are still looking to establish a motive behind the murders of Lau Ngik Yin and Loh Lik Siong
State Police Commissioner Datuk Amer Awal has urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information.
"I urge the public not to speculate on the matter and to give the police time and space to carry out a detailed investigation," he was quoted as saying by The Borneo Post.
The authorities have also launched a manhunt to track down the assailant as a special task force has been set up to investigate the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.