The hunt for a man suspected of killing four people lasted less than 24 hours, with police arresting Lee Hung-yuan (李鴻淵) in Taichung yesterday.
Police named Lee a suspect in the killings on Thursday at Kang Jian Biotech Co in Nantou County’s Caotun Township (草屯).
Lee was a former employee at the company, police said.
Photo: Tung Chen-kuo, Taipei Times
Five people were shot in the head, prompting an intense manhunt that ended when officers raided a spa and massage parlor in Taichung early yesterday afternoon, police said.
Kang Jian Biotech was founded by its chairman, Lai Min-nan (賴敏男), in 1991.
It develops mushroom and fungus ingredients for traditional Chinese medicines.
Lee allegedly shot five people execution-style with a modified T75 handgun that fired 9mm rounds, investigators said.
Lai, 81, was the only one of the five people shot who survived, although he was in a critical condition with a bullet lodged in his skull, investigators said.
He was undergoing emergency treatment at a Taichung hospital as of press time last night.
The four people killed were Lai’s younger brother, Lai’s daughter, a company section head surnamed Liu (劉) and a female section head surnamed Chang (張), investigators said.
Coroners examined their bodies on Thursday night.
Lee was seen in an enclosure on the fifth floor of the spa and massage parlor, with officers finding three modified handguns and ammunition in a rucksack, police said.
Lee yelled as he was led outside, with reporters saying that he seemed to admit responsibility for the killings.
He yelled that it was a “revenge killing” due to old grievances, reporters said.
Police took Lee to the Nantou County Police Bureau for questioning.
They confiscated three modified handguns, 179 bullets, a detachable suppressor and three pairs of handcuffs, police said, adding that cuffs were used to immobilize the first two people who were shot.
Nantou prosecutors said that Lee faces charges of murder and possession of illegal firearms.
Police also detained a manager at the spa, with prosecutors saying the manager might be charged as an accomplice for allegedly providing Lee with a place to wash himself and hide.
Huang Ming-chao (黃明昭), commissioner of the National Police Agency’s (NPA) Criminal Investigation Bureau, was dispatched to Nantou immediately after the report of the killings was received to coordinate the hunt, the NPA said.
“It was good work by the police units involved to detain the suspect in under 21 hours,” Huang said. “They completed this tough assignment without firing a shot.”
Huang thanked Nantou County and Taichung police officers, a special services team and the bureau for their efforts in the hunt.
The investigation will now determine whether any accomplices were involved, the origin of the firearms and bullets, and the motive — if there were grievances or if conspirators instructed the suspect, Huang said.
Company employees told reporters that Lee used to work at Kang Jian Biotech.
He has a bad temper and is easily riled, they said.
He had a squabble with a supervisor over the improper handling of machinery eight years ago, they added.
Lee quit his job soon after and a few weeks later, the supervisor was assaulted by a man wielding a metal bar, they said, adding that they believed it was Lee seeking revenge.
The supervisor sustained serious injuries to her head and other parts of her body, they said.
Lee was charged with attempted murder for the assault, but was found not guilty by the Nantou District Court after presenting evidence that he had been elsewhere at the time of the incident.
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