Tainan police make another arrest related to fatal shooting case

Tainan, July 13 (CNA) Tainan police have arrested another person of interest allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of Tainan Fishermen's Association chair Lin Shih-chieh (林士傑).

According to the police on Saturday, the arrested individual, surnamed Lin (林) and nicknamed A Chuan (阿川), did not disclose any information when questioned, and they were uncertain whether he is involved in the case but said he was a person of interest.

A Chuan, a wanted fugitive with several previous criminal convictions, was heavily relied upon by Lin Shih-chieh, police said, and they suspect he may have engaged in disputes that played a role in the murder of Lin Shih-chieh.

Meanwhile, Commander Jhang Wun-yuan (張文源) of the Tainan City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corps said earlier Saturday that the motive for the shooting and the number of people involved remained unknown.

Also unclear was the exact role of the first person arrested in relation to the case, a man surnamed Chang (張), who was taken into custody Friday for potential ties to the gunman.

Whether the 27-year-old Chang, a Taiwanese national with a history of violent offenses, directly participated in the incident remains to be clarified through further interrogation, said Jhang, who could not confirm whether or not Chang was the gunman.

Chang was handed over to the Tainan District Prosecutors Office after he is questioned, the police said.

Tainan prosecutors later told CNA that Chang was released due to a lack of sufficient evidence demonstrating his involvement in the case. But he was subject to restrictions on domicile and barred from leaving Taiwan.

Aside from Chang and A Chuan, the police said they are currently pursuing another suspect in the case, a person believed to be the owner of the second car used by the gunman in Kaohsiung.

The car was sold by Chang a year ago, the police said.

Lin, 53, was fatally shot multiple times by a gunman outside his home in Tainan's South District in the morning of July 8.

After the shooting, the gunman fled on foot before driving to a public parking lot in Tainan. There, he changed clothes and set fire to the vehicle, attempting to destroy evidence, including two pistols left inside.

Subsequently, he drove a second car to Kaohsiung, abandoning it before fleeing on a scooter toward Pingtung County. Police found acid splashed on the steering wheel, seats, and door handles of the car.

Jhang said earlier Friday that the crime appeared premeditated and suggested the possibility that the gunman may have had accomplices.

A special task force discovered biological evidence on a mask left in the gunman's second car. Following an analysis of the evidence, they identified Chang.

Chang was apprehended in Renwu District of Kaohsiung around 5 p.m. Friday and later taken to the Sixth Precinct of the Tainan City Police Department.

Lin Shih-chieh had been appointed to lead the Tainan Agricultural Marketing Co. by Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) after first being elected to the position in 2018. He was also the father of Tainan City Councilor Lin Yi-ting (林依婷), a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.