The police will investigate an extremely serious shooting in this northern mountainous province even though the two victims and a shooter were dead, Major General Đặng Trần Chiêu, director of Yên Bái’s Police, said. — Photo tuoitre.vn

YÊN BÁI — The police will investigate an extremely serious shooting in this northern mountainous province even though the two victims and a shooter were dead, Major General Đặng Trần Chiêu, director of Yên Bái’s Police, said.

The investigation – part of a legal proceeding – would be launched to explore the motive behind the shooting, and identify any accomplices of the killer, if there are, and matters related to the crime, the police officer said on Friday.

Chiêu said the decision was made as the documents and evidence collected by authorised agencies showed signs of a “murder” as stipulated in Article 93 of the Penal Code.

If the investigation found no other individual involvement in the shooting, the probe would be halted, the major general added.

At about 7am of Thursday, Đỗ Cường Minh, head of the forest ranger unit of Yên Bái Province,  came to the office of Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Phạm  Duy Cường and shot him in the forehead.

Minh then went to the nearby office of Ngô Ngọc Tuấn, chairman of the provincial People’s Council and Head of the provincial Party Committee’s organisation board, and shot him in the chest.

After that, Minh shot himself in Tuấn’s office.

The shooting occurred right before the opening of a regular meeting of the provincial People’s Council.

The shooter, 53, was appointed head of the forest ranger unit of Yên Bái Province in 2014.

One of the victims, Cường, 58, the province’s party secretary since 2010, was re-elected to the position in 2015. He had served in a number of posts, such as director of the Yên Bái Cement Factory and of the provincial planning and investment department. The other, Ngô Ngọc Tuấn, 52, was elected as chairman of the provincial legislature in June.

Shortly after the incident, the two provincial officials and Minh were rushed to the General Hospital of Yên Bai. However, Cường and Tuấn were pronounced dead at 1:05pm while Minh died at 3:26pm the same day. — VNS