A gang leader suspected of involvement in last Saturday's murder of Taipei City Councilor Chen Chin-chi (
The Taipei City Police Department said Lu Wen-ching (
In a department statement released yesterday morning, the police said Lu was discussing with investigators the shooting at Chen's office last year.
Chan Shun-chi (
"Lu called me to discuss the implications of his turning himself in, since the police suspected that he might know something about or have been personally involved in Chen's murder," Chan said.
"I told him: `Let me give you some friendly advice, turn yourself in,'" he said.
"Lu had been advised by a secret informer that police strongly suspected him of involvement in the crime," Chan said.
Chan said that Lu was a top suspect in Saturday's shooting. However, he declined to say what role Lu was suspected of playing, saying that he was not authorized to do so.
Chan said he had known Lu for a few years, since he (Chan) had worked at Peitou Police Station.
Lu is reportedly the leader of a Peitou gang called "Taiwan United" and was one of the National Police Administration's most wanted men following the shooting at Chen's Peitou office.
A police officer who wished to remain anonymous told the Taipei Times yesterday that Lu had told investigators that he was asleep at home at the time of Saturday's shooting.
The officer quoted Lu as saying, "I was sleeping at home with my wife when Chen was killed. I did not know the news until my wife woke me up around 2pm that day. I had nothing to do with the murder."
Lu ran a gas tank business in the Peitou area. His low prices reportedly brought him a lot of customers but also brought him into conflict with other gangs involved in the business.
The shooting at Chen's office last year occurred on May 24, during a meeting of five men from two gangs -- the "Taiwan United" and "Taipei United." Three of the five were wounded in the shooting.
Lu, uninjured, fled the scene and has been on the run ever since.
At a police press conference on Saturday following Chen's slaying, the police had declined discuss the possibility of Lu's involvement in the murder.
However, they said that sources had informed them that Lu had fled to China after last year's shooting but had then returned to Taiwan in August of this year.
According to the anonymous police source, Lu denied fleeing the country last year, telling investigators that he had stayed in his Peitou residence the whole time.
The source said Lu had described the shooting at Chen's office as an accident.
Chen, a Peitou native and KMT councillor for the area, had made his office available for the meeting which was called to reconcile the two gangs. However, he was not present at the meeting.
The police source quoted Lu as saying he was willing to admit to what he had done but didn't want to be framed for something he didn't do.
Lu remained in police custody as of press time last night. No charges have been brought against him.
Police may detain a suspect for 24 hours but must obtain a warrant from a judge in order to detain them longer.
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