KOTA TINGGI: He was your friendly neighbourhood uncle, polite and pleasant. He even brought fruits and vegetable from his orchard for people in the area.
So, when the 71-year-old was arrested for shooting three people dead, it came as a shock for many in Taman Kota Jaya here.
Hamzah Kamat, who runs a restaurant in front of the food court where the incident took place, said the man used to go there, and sometimes even brought fruits from his orchard.
“He is a nice uncle who never caused any trouble, which is why we are all so surprised,” he said.
Three people – two men and a Vietnamese woman – were killed in the attack when the gunman with a Benelli M/Super shotgun opened fire on them.
The man then drove to another coffee shop some 200m away. He was arrested there.
The woman is said to be owner of the shop where the incident happened.
“To have a shooting in our own backyard is shocking, but what is even more surprising was that it involved this man,” said Hamzah.
The 57-year-old said he had just closed and left his shop when the incident happened.
“I had only left a few minutes earlier.”
Other shops in the area were mostly closed on Sunday.
“I was told by eyewitnesses that, after the shooting, the uncle drove to a coffee shop nearby where he had a drink with a friend.
“We know the uncle has his own orchard, and I also have friends who get their vegetables from him.
“However, we did not know that he had a shotgun and a licence to carry one,” he added.
A sundry shop owner, who only wanted to be known as Hussein, said he too was shocked.
Hussein’s shop is located right in front of the coffee shop where the suspect was arrested.
“I had just come back from prayers and lunch when I saw the uncle in handcuffs in a police car.
“At that point, I had already heard about the shooting, but I really did not expect it to be him.
“He seemed like a harmless old man, who sometimes even had a bit of trouble walking,” he said.
In a statement on Sunday, Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said a senior citizen had been arrested in connection with a shooting incident that killed three people.
He added that the suspect, whose shotgun was also seized during the arrest, had a licence to own a firearm.
“The suspect owns agricultural land, which qualifies him to possess a firearm. The firearm licence was granted for the purpose of protecting crops from pests, and not for any other use,” he said.
The suspect has been remanded for seven days, starting yesterday.
