Sunday January 20, 2013

Gunmen try to kill groom at wedding eve party

By DESIREE TRESA GASPER
desiree@thestar.com.my

Overtaken by events: The decorated Hummer parked outside Fan’s house in Taman Kulai.

JOHOR BARU: He was having a party with family and friends to celebrate the end of bachelorhood. The firecrackers had come out and he went to move his car. Just as the fireworks began, a group of men opened fire on the groom.

Despite being shot, Fan Chee Wai, 34, ran about 200m to the neighbouring Taman Selatan where he barged into a house celebrating another auspicious event and locked himself in a room to escape his assailants.

Fan is now fighting for his life in a private hospital in Singapore after his family decided to transfer him out of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital here when his condition became critical early yesterday.

The incident is said to have occurred at 11pm on Friday, when about 60 family members and friends held the party at his home in Taman Kulai in Kulaijaya, about 30km from here, as an advanced celebration of Fan's now-aborted wedding.

Sources said he stepped out of his house to move his car so some guests could light some firecrackers. Just when the firecrackers started, shots were heard and Fan was seen running.

A 40-year-old resident of the house Fan ran into said her 16-year-old son had seen the businessman in a blood-soaked shirt and thought he was being chased by a dog.

“There were about 20 people at my house, where we were celebrating my son's birthday.

“After he (the son) told us about the injured man, I rushed to the gate and saw him (Fan) falling and getting up again, with two other men going after him.

“To our surprise, the injured man suddenly ran towards me and entered my house to quickly lock himself in a room,” she said.

She was shocked when the pursuers both with guns also dashed into her house and ordered her to unlock the door.

The two armed intruders left when they could not break down the door.

“After several minutes, friends of the injured man came looking for him and he finally opened the door for them,” she said.

A relative of Fan, who declined to be named, said the incident happened “in a blink”.

“Some of us thought it was firecrackers going off but only when we saw Fan running did we realise that something had happened.”

Kulaijaya OCPD Supt Zulkefly Yahya said Fan was shot in the right side of his chest.

“We are investigating the motive,” he said, adding that Fan was initially admitted to the Kulaijaya Hospital before being transferred to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital.

Checks at Fan's home only found a decorated Hummer, which was to be used by the would-be groom for his wedding reception originally scheduled for last night.

News

Sunday January 20, 2013

Gunmen try to kill groom at wedding eve party

By DESIREE TRESA GASPER desiree@thestar.com.my

By DESIREE TRESA GASPER
desiree@thestar.com.my