71-year-old kills 3 after confronting restaurant owner over loan in Kota Tinggi

Two men and one woman were fatally shot at a food court in Kota Tinggi, Malaysia by a 71-year-old man on Sunday (April 19), according to multiple reports by Malaysian media.

The victims, aged 37 to 63, were believed to have been shot with a shotgun and were pronounced dead at scene, Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said.

Malaysian police received word of the incident around 1.30pm and detained the 71-year-old suspect about 200m from the scene at around 2pm, Bernama reported.

A Benelli M/Super shotgun, believed to have been the weapon used to kill the trio, was seized by the police.

The suspect owns agricultural land, qualifying him to possess a firearm, and reportedly had no criminal record prior to the incident, The Star reported.

Police also confirmed that the suspect will be investigated for murder, and will face the death penalty or a minimum of 30 years' jail and at least 12 strokes of the cane if convicted, The Rakyat Post reported.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Debt and death

The shooting was reportedly a result of an alleged loan, with the suspect purportedly confronting the owner of the food court - one of the victims - to demand repayment a week ago, The New Straits Times (NST) reported.

Instead of repaying his loan, however, the food court owner allegedly attacked the suspect.

The suspect returned on Sunday, allegedly opening fire at the three victims - two men and a Vietnamese woman, according to NST.

A fourth woman had allegedly begged for her life and was spared, and the gunman reportedly drove to a separate restaurant 200m away and awaited police.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com