The August shooting of two high-level officials in Yên Bái was motivated by personal cause, said the local police yesterday. — Photo dantri.com.vn

YÊN BÁI – The August shooting of two high-level officials in Yên Bái was motivated by personal cause, said the local police yesterday.

In a press conference announcing the official investigation results of the unprecedented shooting that rocked the country, Yên Bái police concluded that the killer, Đỗ Cường Minh, then head of the Yên Bái Forest Protection Sub-Department (FPSD), killed two of the province’s top leaders due to “his frustration over the staff shuffle” before turning the gun on himself. The FPSD, or the forest ranger unit, of which Minh was at the helm was planned to be merged with the municipal Forestry Sub-Department.

The police ruled out possible motives like political or economic conflicts or twists in love affairs which triggered the killing of provincial Party Committee Secretary Phạm Duy Cường and the provincial People’s Council Chairman Ngô Ngọc Tuấn on August 18. Tuấn was also the head of the Yên Bái Party Committee’s Organisation Board.

Responding to questions on whether the triple-shooting was involved with corruption, Yên Bái Police Deputy Director Phạm Ngọc Thắng said that the police already investigated that angle, but it did not fall within the jurisdiction of the police to announce in yesterday’s press briefing.

Searches at Cường’s office found VNĐ50 million (US$2,200) in a file folder while a safe in Tuấn’s room held $100,000 and VNĐ1.5 billion in cash together with four gold rings and jewellery that is yet to be analysed.

The 52-year-old shooter was said to have driven to the Party Committee office at about 6.30am, and waited outside Cường’s office. When Cường arrived, Minh followed him into the room and used a Russian-made Makarov pistol K59 to shoot him four times.

Minh then drove his car to the adjacent municipal Party Committee’s Organisation Board, which was about 150m away from Cường’s office. After waiting for guests to leave Tuấn’s office, Minh came into the room and opened fire three times at the leader.

He then turned the gun on himself.

Cường and Tuan were pronounced dead later the same day.

The gun was given to Minh by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as arms to the forest rangers.

Next to Minh’s body in Tuấn’s office, the police found a 1.5l bottle containing petrol inside a bag, as well as a K59 reloading box holding eight cartridges and a gas lighter. – VNS