Killer cop killed in Saigon encounter

A road is blocked in Cu Chi District, HCMC, during a police raid for a killer cop, February 13, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Hue Xuan.

Le Quoc Tuan, 33, was killed in a shootout near the Xang Bridge in Cu Chi District.

Tuan, who was working with the custody and temporary detention office of the District 11 police department, was wanted for allegedly shooting five men in Tan Thanh Dong Commune of Cu Chi, about 10 km away from the Xang Bridge area, after a dice game.

The men were playing a game called Sic bo, a game of chance played with three dice, in a garden on January 29, the last day of the Lunar New Year break.

Tuan, who went to the game with his cousin, 27-year-old Le Quoc Minh, lost all his money and asked to play one more game hoping to recoup his losses. But when no one agreed to play, he got angry, yelled at the group and left. He returned later with an assault rifle and fired eight shots at the group, killing four instantly and injuring one.

Police officer Le Quoc Tuan, 33, allegedly killed five people in Saigon on January 29, 2020. Photo acquired by VnExpress.

Tuan then fled on a motorbike, taking the gun and around VND1 billion ($43,000) from the game with him. The assault rifle Tuan used did not belong to the District 11 police department, it has been reported.

He later gave the money to a friend, 33-year-old Pham Thanh Tam, before stealing a motorbike from a woman and later the same night, killed a 40-year-old man to steal his motorbike. The killer cop had been on the run for over two weeks before the police found him.

Minh was arrested by the police for further investigation, while Tam turned himself in. Several others have also been detained for allegedly concealing Tuan's whereabouts. Further details about the killing spree have not been released.