A military official in Vietnam shot and killed a ward chairwoman before shooting himself. At around 7am on Monday, Bui Chi Hieu, the 32-year-old deputy military commander of the Doan Ket Ward in Gia Lai province, showed up at a flag ceremony held at the local government office with an AK rifle, VN Express reported. Hieu fired several warning shots and ordered witnesses to freeze.
While most witnesses fled promptly, Hieu managed to catch his target, 31-year-old Kpa H’Ven, who was also the vice-chairwoman of the Doan Ket Ward. Despite negotiations with police at the scene, Hieu shot the woman to death just before shooting himself.
Hieu was taken to an emergency room promptly, where he was listed in critical condition. His victim had reportedly had just returned home from a military training program.
Hieu’s family stated that they were not aware of any work-related conflicts.
Two military-issue firearms were taken from the scene. Crime-scene investigations revealed that six rounds had been fired. The motive for the crime has yet to be uncovered by the authorities.