An altercation over the use of a washroom might have been the
cause of the shooting in Ottawa on Tuesday, which resulted in the
deaths of two Chinese students.
The two students, reportedly identified as Tian Linhai and Liu
Tailang, were shot dead at the Fullhouse Karaoke Tea Cafe in the
city's Chinatown at about 2:45 AM, local police confirmed
yesterday.
The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa would not confirm the students'
identities because "their relatives said they were not willing to
make the names public," Wang Pengfei, an education officer at the
embassy, was quoted by China Daily as saying.
But copies of their passports indicate that the students were
from northwest China's Qinghai Province and north China's Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region respectively. Both were 20, Wang
said.
A report on a Canadian Chinese website, www.ttcen.com, said the
two students had a bitter quarrel with a group of people, allegedly
of Vietnamese ethnicity, over the use of a washroom and eventually
came to blows with them.
One of the other group walked out of the cafe and returned
minutes later with a handgun. He rushed to the room where the
Chinese students were singing, shot several shots and then fled.
There were other Chinese students in the room at the time.
Claims were made on the website confirming that the shooter was
a Vietnamese. But the Chinese embassy said the case was still under
investigation and refused to confirm these claims.
"It might be true, but so far it is just speculation," Wang
said. "We've urged the Canadian police to solve the case as soon as
possible."
Local newspapers said detectives wouldn't reveal a possible
motive for the shooting and have yet to identify any suspects,
although it's believed there was only a single shooter.
Police said they have not recovered the weapon, believed to be a
semi-automatic handgun, according to a report by the Ottawa
Citizen, a local newspaper. Police don't believe the shooting
was related to illegal gambling or drugs.
Danny Tam, 19, who visits the club at least once a week, said he
was shocked to hear of the shooting because the place felt safe.
"It's not like gambling; it's just casual," he was quoted by the
paper as saying.
Many youths in the area said that the cafe is a popular
nightspot for young Asians particularly foreign university
students, the report said.
The bar used to be an Asian fusion restaurant called Basil Leaf
before it was transformed into a karaoke bar and bubble tearoom a
few months ago. It opens from 11 AM to 3 AM the following
morning.
But Peter So, owner of So Good Restaurant located opposite to
the crime scene, told the?paper he was not surprised to hear
about the shooting, and said the area has become more
dangerous.
"I think this street has a problem," he was quoted as
saying.
So pointed out spray-painted graffiti on the brick walls beside
his shop, which he called gang symbols, the report said. He wanted
to see more police patrols in the area.
Relatives of the two victims are expected to arrive in Ottawa at
the weekend, Wang said. They might get insurance compensation and
part of the tuition fees back, but the exact amount was not
revealed.
(China Daily December 9, 2005)