The Hsinchu District Court on Monday sentenced a police officer who shot and killed a migrant worker to eight months in prison for negligent manslaughter, but suspended the sentence for three years.
The ruling means that if Chen Chung-wen (陳崇文) does not commit any more offenses during that time, he will not have to go to prison.
Chen and a member of the civil defense corps were on Aug. 31, 2017, dispatched to investigate suspected vandalism and vehicle theft in Jhubei City (竹北) in Hsinchu County.
The duo tried to detain 27-year-old Vietnamese Nguyen Quoc Phi, but he threw stones at them, injuring the civil defense officer.
Chen then fired nine shots, all of which hit Nguyen, who bled to death.
The killing sparked protests by Vietnamese migrants against police violence.
Prosecutors in January last year charged Chen with negligent manslaughter after an investigation.
The court said that Chen had used excessive force and that his response breached the principle of proportionality.
Despite having already fired four shots at Nguyen, seriously limiting his ability to resist arrest, Chen nevertheless fired five more shots, the court said.
The court said it considered Chen’s inexperience, as he was only 22 years old at the time and relatively new to the force, and that he had compensated the family of the victim, when reaching its verdict.
Local media have reported that Chen last year reached a settlement with Nguyen’s relatives for NT$2.6 million (US$83,625).
However, the Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office still pressed charges of negligent manslaughter and used footage from Chen’s body camera as evidence.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS