Police launch manhunt for Tainan gun attack suspect

Tainan, July 8 (CNA) Tainan police said Monday they are searching for an unidentified gunman who shot dead Lin Shih-chieh (林士傑), chairman of the Tainan City Fisherman's Association, in front of his home early that morning.

Lin sustained multiple gunshots to his body, and was found without vital signs after a report was received at 5:45 a.m. about a shooting on Sinle Road in the city's South District, according to the Tainan Fire Bureau.

Lin was subsequently pronounced dead by the Chi Mei Medical Center after efforts to resuscitate him failed, the bureau said, adding that his body has been transported to the South District Funeral Parlor.

He was the father of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Tainan City Councilor Lin Yi-ting (林依婷), who declined to comment about the incident.

Jhang Wun-yuan (張文源), commander of the Tainan City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corps, told reporters that based on a preliminary investigation, there was only one gunman, but there could also be other accomplices.

Officers were still in pursuit of a suspect, Jhang said, indicating that the motive behind the attack has yet to be established.

After viewing the footage from nearby surveillance cameras, police said the suspected male gunman hid near Lin Shih-chieh's residence before the ambush, and shot him several times at close range.

The attack only lasted a few seconds, after which he fled eastward on foot and toward a nearby park, they added.

Meanwhile, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) told reporters that the association head was about to go out for exercise when he was unexpectedly shot by an individual in front of his house.

Huang requested that police bring the suspect to justice as soon as possible.