Vietnamese man arrested after shooting up emergency room with WWII machine gun

Police in central Vietnam have detained a man after he opened fire in an emergency room at a district hospital, causing widespread panic.

The weapon used was a Soviet-era submachine gun designed in 1940 and used extensively during World War II.

The WWII-era submachine gun seized during Cao Van Hung's detention. Photo by VnExpress

Cao Van Hung, 26, was detained late last month at his home in Dien Chau District, Nghe An Province, 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Hanoi, deputy district police chief Tran Van Khang said. 

On April 12, Hung and a man named Pham Trung Hieu fought at a wedding reception, and Hieu was injured in the altercation. Hung offered to take Hieu to hospital, but he responded: "I look down on you!", investigators said.

That same night, an incensed Hung and several friends stormed into the emergency room of the district hospital to look for Hieu, but after failing to find him, Hung drew the gun and fired four shots into the ceiling, causing panic.

Cao Van Hung from Nghe An Province was detained for causing public disorder and could face an additional charge for illegal use of weapon. Photo by VnExpress.

Police investigators said they plan to press an additional charge against Hung for illegal use of a weapon.

It is not clear how Hung obtained the gun, which was nicknamed "daddy" by the Russians and was mass-produced in Moscow in the early 1940s.