Cover image via Najmi Nor’azam/New Straits Times & Bernama
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A 71-year-old man has been remanded for seven days after a shooting at a restaurant in Kota Tinggi left three people dead on Sunday, 19 April
The suspect was brought to the Kota Tinggi Magistrate's Court this morning, 20 April, where a remand order was granted until 26 April to assist investigations under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
A legally licensed shotgun, issued for farming use, was used in the daylight shooting, with police saying a personal dispute may be the motive behind the killings.
What happened
Police said the incident took place around 1.30pm at a food court in Taman Kota Jaya.
Witnesses initially thought the loud bangs were firecrackers or a vehicle backfiring, before realising a gunman had opened fire. The victims, two Malaysian men and a foreign woman aged between 37 and 63, were pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.
Within 30 minutes, officers arrested the suspect about 200m away.
Authorities also seized a Benelli M/Super shotgun believed to have been used in the attack.
According to Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad, the firearm was legally owned.
"The firearm permit was issued strictly for agricultural purposes… specifically for crop protection against pests and not for any other use," Ab Rahaman said.
"Police also established that the suspect owns agricultural land, qualifying him to hold the firearm under existing regulations."
He also confirmed the man had no prior criminal record.
Police at the scene of the shooting incident at Taman Kota Jaya, Kota Tinggi.
Image via New Straits Times/BernamaCalm behaviour after the shooting
One of the most unsettling details emerging from the Kota Tinggi shooting is the suspect's behaviour immediately after the attack.
Instead of fleeing, the 71-year-old is believed to have left the scene and driven to another restaurant less than 100m away, where he sat and waited.
A resident, identified only as Yogi, 36, said the gunman entered the food court and opened fire without warning, and that he showed no signs of panic after the shooting.
"He did not run. He just walked and sat there."
According to the New Straits Times, police moved in shortly after and arrested the suspect at the second location.
While ruling out terrorism and organised crime, police said a personal dispute is the main line of inquiry
"Preliminary investigations show the incident does not involve any elements of secret societies or terrorism. We have not ruled out the possibility that the motive may be linked to personal debt."
Investigators are looking into claims that the suspect had confronted one of the victims — reportedly a restaurant owner — over an unpaid loan before the incident.
Unverified accounts suggest the confrontation may have escalated days earlier, but police have not confirmed those details.
Police warning over viral footage
Authorities have also issued a warning against sharing a short video clip of the aftermath that has circulated on social media.
"We are still investigating the scene. We urge the public not to share the viral video as it may disrupt the investigation and cause unnecessary alarm," said Kota Tinggi district police chief Supt Yusof Othman.
What happens next
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted.
For now, police are continuing to piece together the relationship between the suspect and the victims, with the alleged debt dispute emerging as the central thread in what appears to be a highly personal and sudden escalation into violence.
The 71-year-old man arrested in connection with a shooting at a restaurant here that killed three people has been remanded for seven days.
Image via Najmi Nor'azam/New Straits Times