Husband, friend arrested in non-fatal shooting of Chinese spouse

Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) Two people, including the victim's husband, have been arrested in connection with the non-fatal shooting of a Chinese spouse in Taipei on Friday, authorities said.

According to Taipei police and prosecutors, the 50-year-old victim, surnamed Chao (趙), had just exited her home near Shuiyuan Road on Friday afternoon when she was ambushed by a masked individual.

The masked person drew a gun and fired two shots, one of which hit Chao in the stomach, while the other caused the gun to jam, authorities said.

Following the shooting, the suspect fled, while Chao fell to the ground injured. After a bystander called the police and an ambulance, Chao was taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Using surveillance video footage of the incident, police discovered that the shooter got into a car belonging to Chao's estranged husband, surnamed Chen (陳).

Chen was arrested late Friday at the Tai'an Service Area, off of National Freeway No. 1 in Taichung, and was transferred to the custody of prosecutors the following day.

On Saturday, prosecutors requested and received permission to hold Chen incommunicado, while investigators identified the suspected shooter as a woman surnamed Yi (易).

Yi, who was identified as a "friend" of Chen, was arrested in New Taipei's Sanchong District on Saturday, and is expected to be turned over to prosecutors on Sunday, authorities said.

According to a Liberty Times report Sunday, Yi had been living in hiding on the mistaken belief that there was a warrant out for her arrest over a drunk driving incident.

After meeting in an internet chatroom, Yi and Chen began dating, and had recently been living together in New Taipei's Zhonghe District, where Chen was financially supporting her, the report said.

Chen, for his part, was angry that after returning from a recent trip to China, Chao had refused to help him with his waterproofing business, preferring instead to do part-time work at restaurants, Liberty Times reported.

These grievances hardened into a desire to kill Chao after she kicked Chen out of their house and refused to let him see their children, the report said.

Citing testimony from Yi, the Liberty Times report claimed that Chen, wary of carrying out the shooting himself, purchased a firearm online and later took Yi to a shooting range in Tainan to practice her marksmanship.

Five days before the shooting, Yi and Chen separately staked out the area around Chao's home and workplace, before reporting back to each other, the report said.

On Friday, Yi and Chen lay in wait for Chao, and then, after the shooting, fled together in Chen's vehicle, as they had previously rehearsed, Yi told investigators, according to the report.