Wanted man shot to death in Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung, Aug. 22 (CNA) A wanted man was shot dead in Kaohsiung's Zuoying District on Friday morning in what authorities believe to be related to a debt dispute.

According to local police, the deceased, identified as a 51-year-old man surnamed Lo (羅), was wanted by authorities for crimes relating to theft and fraud.

The police said Lo resided near Zuoying's Wenxue Road and was found to have met with an unidentified man sometime Friday morning, police said, and the two quickly got into an argument.

The man subsequently shot at Lo 12 times with a firearm, and Lo was killed after five bullets hit him on vital parts of his body such as his head and neck.

The suspect then got into a white sedan and drove off.

Onsite evidence collected by the police and crime scene investigators found eight bullet casings at the scene of the crime and four other casings grouped nearby.

Surveillance footage revealed that prior to the shooting, the suspect drove the white car to a park near Lo's residence early Friday, where he then waited.

Once Lo left his residence, the suspect then approached the victim, and the argument ensued.

Police said they suspect the argument was caused by a dispute over a debt.

The amount of money involved as well as the actual relationship between the two, however, have yet to be confirmed, authorities said.

The white sedan was later found torched by a rural intersection of Jiadian Street and Tianzhong Road in the southern port city's Ciaotou District, police said.

The investigation into the case is currently being spearheaded by the Ciaotou District Prosecutors Office.

At a public appearance on Friday, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) told reporters that Kaohsiung Police Commissioner Lin Yen-tien (林炎田) notified him of the incident.

Chen said authorities have already narrowed in on the suspect and he promised that the police will arrest those responsible.