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CIB chief sorry over shooting probe

The chief investigator into the election-eve shooting of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) apologized yesterday for failing to track down any suspects in three months of investigations.

Criminal Investigation Bureau Commissioner Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said that with the help of crime scene reconstructions, simulated shootings and fact-checking he has concluded Chen neither staged the shooting hours before the March 20 election nor faked the gunshot wound to his stomach.

But he admitted he still has no clue who fired at the president or who plotted the attack.

"Many people have questioned if this will ever be resolved and say little progress has been made," Hou told reporters.

"If [authorities] want to let somebody else take over my job, I'd agree," he said. "I feel sorry."

As evidence that the president's wound was not faked, Hou showed footage filmed by the news media and security forces at the parade.

Chen and Lu were shown waving to supporters lining the streets as firecrackers went off around them creating a thick blanket of smoke. Chen was then shown holding his stomach with one hand and Lu was visibly agonized by pain.

Police are certain one gunman used a handgun made at an underground workshop to fire the shots from the side of the street where two bullet casings were later found, Hou said.

But no witnesses spotted the gunman because they were all looking at the president at the time, he said.

"This is a very difficult case," Hou said. "The crime scene was not sealed right away, and we had to reconstruct the scene step by step."
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