BANTING: The sound of what many believed to be a misfiring motorcycle exhaust shattered the calm outside a fast-food restaurant here on Sunday night.
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Moments later, it became clear that the loud pops were gunshots that claimed the life of a man.
It is learnt that the shooting occurred at about 10.05pm as the victim was standing outside the restaurant when a suspect, believed to be on a motorcycle, approached and allegedly fired several shots at him.
The wounded man fled towards the side of the restaurant before collapsing. He died at the scene.
A patron, who declined to be named, said he was at a nearby premises when the noise drew his attention.
“Shortly after that, police vehicles with sirens blaring arrived at the scene. At first, I thought the loud bangs were from a motorcycle exhaust.
“Not long after that, the police arrived. People ran and gathered in front of the area. It was shocking. This is the first time something like this has happened here,” he said when met at the scene.
A restaurant staff member, who requested anonymity, said she only learned of the shooting when she arrived for work the next morning.
“I only heard about it when I came to work this morning. I’ve been working here for nine years and nothing like this has ever happened before,” said the 53-year-old.
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She said returning to work was unsettling.
“Yes, I do feel scared to come to work now that this has happened, but I have no choice. I still need to work,” she said.
The woman added that the incident could easily have had wider consequences.
“If the shooter had made any mistake, a stray bullet could have entered the restaurant and hit innocent people,” she said.
Photos and videos of theincident later circulated widely on social media, showing the man lying on the floor against the exterior wall of the restaurant with visible injuries.
Bloodstains were also seen on the wall near where the man was found.
One of the videos showed at least two bullet casings on the floor of the premises.
The victim was identified as a man in his late 30s, and his body was sent to Banting Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
-NewStraitsTime