A 36-year-old man on Thursday faced charges of arson and manslaughter after allegedly setting fire to a New Taipei City lottery store managed by his family, killing his mother.
Police said that a man surnamed Lin (林) on Tuesday reportedly set fire to the store in the city’s Sindian District (新店) after an argument with his elder sister.
Lin had allegedly argued with his sister, and when he discovered that she had talked about him with his father, he became angry, believing that they were maligning him, and purchased gasoline from a nearby gas station, police said.
Lin reportedly returned to the store, managed by his parents, and poured gasoline around the premises before igniting it with a lighter, police said.
Firefighters fought the blaze for about 30 minutes and found Lin’s mother dead inside, police said, adding that Lin’s sister was treated for burn injuries at a hospital.
Using surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts, police found that after the fire, Lin took a train to Taipei’s Ximending (西門町), went to an Internet cafe and then checked into a nearby hotel, where he was arrested on Wednesday, police said.
In other news, a man surnamed Lu (盧) on Thursday turned himself in to New Taipei City police for a shooting in Jinshan District (金山).
A man surnamed Kuo (郭) was shot in the thigh in the incident and received hospital treatment, police said.
Kuo told police he was having a late night meal and drinking with friends, when an argument occurred with Lu.
Kuo said Lu followed him home, took out a handgun and fired five shots at him as Lu fled.
Investigators recovered five bullets at the scene, and were trying to verify the shooter’s identity, when Lu turned himself in along with the weapon, police said.
Police investigators said they would file charges against Lu, following questioning, and needed to find out the source of the handgun and bullets, as Lu had contravened the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例).
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