South Taiwan man falls to death with gunshot wound

南台灣男子中槍墜樓身亡

6 suspects in custody after foul play suspected in convenience store clerk’s death


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan police have arrested six people after a man fell to his death with gunshot wounds and bruises on Wednesday (May 3).

UDN reported that at around noon, a 30-year-old convenience store clerk surnamed Ding (丁) fell from a 13-story apartment in Yongkang District. He had multiple severe injuries and showed no signs of life by the time the police arrived.

Ding had reportedly entered the apartment complex with another man, a 21-year-old surnamed Tseng (曾), around 20 minutes before his death. Tseng was later caught on surveillance camera while holding something in his left pocket as he rushed out and was driven away on a scooter by a friend.

By Wednesday evening, the police had detained four men and two women, including Tseng and a woman surnamed Chen (陳), who owns the convenience store where Ding worked. Tseng is reportedly a friend of Chen’s and often spends his time at her store.

The police were cited as saying the six suspects may have colluded, as all of them insisted they had no knowledge of the incident. Tseng also denied holding a weapon as he left the scene.

Despite suspecting that Tseng had shot Ding at the apartment, police did not find the gun, bullet casing, blood, or any trace of a struggle at the scene.

Ding’s body showed short-range entrance and exit gunshot wounds on Ding’s lower back, per China Times. From the fall, Ding had several fractured bones in his head, neck, and chest, as well as a damaged brain, heart, and liver.

Additionally, the police alleged the suspects had shut Ding in the convenience store storage room and beat him with a pipe all night prior to his death. His hands and feet reportedly turned “black” from the abuse.

Ding was reportedly involved in monetary disputes relating to the debt he owed. For this reason, Chen had allegedly accused him of stealing from the convenience store.

The cause of Ding’s death remains to be determined through a more detailed autopsy and further investigation. The suspects have been handed over to the Tainan District Prosecutors Office on murder and organized crime charges.