Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) - The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security (HDPS) held a press briefing on May 26 morning to provide information on a murder case that occurred in Ben Thanh ward on the evening of May 21, involving two suspects of Samoan nationality using military-grade firearms, resulting in one death and one injury.
The briefing was chaired by Lieutenant General Mai Hoang, Director of the HDPS, with the participation of leaders of professional units under the Ministry of Public Security and the Tay Ninh Department of Public Security.
Hoang stated that this particularly serious case was solved in a short time thanks to the decisive direction of the Ministry of Public Security and the close, coordinated cooperation between police of Ho Chi Minh City and related localities. In particular, the HDPS mobilised maximum resources and deployed synchronous professional measures to quickly determine escape routes, and safely arrest the dangerous suspects.
He requested that relevant forces continue investigating and clarifying related actions, including accomplices who provided support, means of transportation, or tools for the suspects, and especially those who helped them flee. He also praised the responsibility of professional units under the Ministry of Public Security, police forces of other localities, and especially the public for providing important information serving the investigation and arrest.
According to Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, at around 10:10 pm on May 21, authorities received reports of a shooting murder carried out by two foreign suspects using military weapons in front of the Cee’f seafood restaurant at 70 Truong Dinh street, Ben Thanh ward.
At the scene, Lemalu Lorenzo Tovia, an Australian national born in 2001, was shot twice and died on the spot; while Sauni Sam (born in 1999, Australian nationality) was shot once and seriously injured and is currently receiving intensive treatment.
Regarding the investigation process, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Hung, Deputy Director of the HDPS, said that immediately after the incident, the department’s leadership directed the Criminal Police Division to coordinate with relevant units and Ben Thanh ward police to quickly secure the scene, take the injured victim to the hospital, and collect evidence for investigation.
At the same time, the city police worked with professional forces under the Ministry of Public Security to deploy coordinated investigative measures, applying a digital mapping system at the Command Information Centre to determine the suspects’ travel routes and escape directions.
Within less than 24 hours of investigation, authorities identified the two suspects as Vaa Vaa (born in 1999, Samoan nationality), who directly carried out the shooting, and Tafia Steve (born in 2003, Samoan nationality), who supported the crime. Investigators also quickly clarified the suspects’ movements before and after the shooting.
According to Hung, the suspects operated in a professional manner, used military-grade weapons, and were ready to resist arrest when detected. However, with strong determination in combating crime, the joint forces of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, and other localities successfully arrested the suspects while they were hiding in an area near the Vietnam–Cambodia border in less than 72 hours after the crime and safely transported them back to Ho Chi Minh City for investigation.
At the police station, the two suspects initially confessed that the crime was carried out under the direction of an overseas individual.
According to their initial statements, on May 14, they entered Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat International Airport, then monitored the victims’ daily routines to prepare for the attack.
On the evening of May 21, when the victims and their friends left a party at the Cee’f restaurant, the suspects fired three consecutive shots at the victims before quickly fleeing the scene.
Based on collected evidence and documents, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security’s investigation agency issued emergency detention orders for Vaa Vaa and Tafia Steve for investigation of “murder.”
In addition, the investigation agency also issued emergency detention orders for 24-yer-old Nguyen Trong Nghia, residing in Tay Ninh province, who engages in passenger transport on the Ho Chi Minh City–Tay Ninh route, and seven other individuals for failing to report the crime and assisting the suspects in escaping.
Ho Chi Minh City police are expanding the investigation to clarify the roles of all related individuals and strictly handle them in accordance with the law./.
