Elderly relatives shot dead over apartment inheritance in Hong Kong

KUALA LUMPUR (June 27): Sky-high property prices in Hong Kong have been hitting the news quite regularly these days but the latest news about the territory’s real estate market took a tragic turn recently.

According to a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, a dispute over an inheritance involving HK$8 million (RM4.12 million) apartment resulted in a 44-year-old female bodyguard allegedly shooting to death her elderly relatives during a family discussion.

Ada Tsim Sum-kit is now accused of shooting dead her 80-year-old aunt and 62-year-old uncle and injuring two other relatives “in a failed meeting to discuss the inheritance arrangement in Quarry Bay Park at about 3pm on Tuesday”, said SCMP.

The quarrel was over the division of the sale proceeds of the apartment. 

The 40-year-old apartment is located at Nam Fung Sun Chuen housing estate, which is “a largely middle-class neighbourhood in Quarry Bay” said the Hong Kong daily.

Police found an Italian-made Beretta semi-automatic pistol on Tsim when she was arrested.

A source told SCMP that “there were five bullets in the magazine of the pistol and another 41 rounds of ammunition in a case found in Tsim’s rucksack”. She worked as a bodyguard in mainland China.

“In the incident, at least four shots were fired, according to our preliminary investigations,” Chief Inspector Hui Kong-kit told the media. “We will investigate how the assailant obtained the firearm to commit the crime.”

According to reports, Tsim fled to the Cityplaza Four shopping centre after gunning down her relatives but she was caught by a security guard in the mall.

She was then arrested by the Hong Kong Police’s Counter Terrorism Response Unit.