Supreme Court upholds sentences for retired detective in fatal shooting

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) A retired Chiayi County police detective convicted of fatally shooting a man during a dispute over an earthmoving business has had his convictions and individual sentences finalized after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a reduced sentence handed down by the Taiwan High Court's Tainan Branch, finalizing a 12-year-and-six-month sentence for joint homicide and a five-year-and-10-month sentence for illegal possession of a modified handgun for Hou Hung-tien (侯宏典).

Hou, a former detective with the Chiayi County Police Bureau who was nicknamed "Red Dot," was initially sentenced to life imprisonment by the Chiayi District Court after being found guilty of homicide and illegal possession of a modified handgun.

According to court documents, the shooting took place in January 2022 after a dispute over profits from an earthmoving business escalated into an armed confrontation in Dongshi Township, Chiayi County.

The courts found that the victim, surnamed Chang (張), had earlier gone to Hou's residence to provoke him, and the two later agreed to meet that evening at a local temple to negotiate.

Chang allegedly fired warning shots into the air before returning to the scene and firing again. Hou then shot at Chang's departing vehicle, hitting him in the head. Chang died in hospital three days later.

Prosecutors said Hou had investigated Chang in firearms and intimidation cases while serving as a police officer, before the two became involved in a business dispute after Hou's retirement.

The High Court's Tainan Branch reduced Hou's sentence in October 2025, citing his guilty plea, a mediation agreement reached with Chang's family, and his full payment of NT$8 million (US$274,000) in compensation.

The appellate court also took into account that Chang had initiated the confrontation and fired shots first, according to the ruling.

In rejecting Hou's appeal, the Supreme Court said the appellate court had properly established the facts, correctly applied the law, and imposed an appropriate sentence.

Prosecutors will later ask the court to determine the total sentence Hou must serve.