71-year-old man to be charged with murder for shooting 3 people dead in Johor


PUBLISHED ONApril 24, 2026 8:32 AMBYKoh Xing YingA 71-year-old man who allegedly shot three people dead at a restaurant in Johor's Kota Tinggi district is expected to be charged with murder on Monday (April 27).
Johor police chief Rahaman Arsad said investigation papers have been submitted to the deputy public prosecutor's office, and approval has been granted for the suspect to be charged, reported Malaysian news outlet The Star.
"We have obtained approval to charge the suspect at the Kota Tinggi court with three counts under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder," said Rahaman at a press conference on April 24.
According to the police chief, the elderly man fired six shots from a semi-automatic shotgun, with all spent casings recovered from the crime scene.
The victims were identified as a 37-year-old Vietnamese woman who ran the restaurant, and two local male customers aged 61 and 63.
Police believe the shooting, which took place at the restaurant in Taman Kota Jaya at around noon on April 19, was linked to a loan of about RM50,000 (S$16,087), reported The Star.
The suspect was arrested at around 2pm, about 200m from the scene.
"The suspect had allegedly lent money to the Vietnamese victim in stages over the past three years. She was a widow running her late husband's family eatery. However, there was no written agreement between them," said Rahaman.
He added that the suspect, who is married with four children, owns agricultural land and holds a valid firearm licence issued in Kuantan, Pahang, about 35 years ago.
If convicted of murder, he faces the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, along with up to 12 strokes of the cane.
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xingying.koh@asiaone.com