The suspects admitted to carefully planning before carrying out the shooting that resulted in a murder in Ben Thanh Ward; however, they were ultimately unable to escape from Vietnamese police.

Regarding the shooting case that left two people dead and injured in Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City Police, in coordination with relevant professional units, urgently took statements from Vaa Vaa (born 1999, Samoan nationality; the direct shooter) and Tafia Steve (born 2003, Samoan nationality, accomplice) to expand the investigation and handle other related individuals.

What did the suspects in the Ho Chi Minh City shooting say?

As the individual who directly carried out the fatal shooting on the evening of May 21, Vaa Vaa stated that he and Tafia Steve came to Ho Chi Minh City to kill another person. After committing the crime, the suspect was arrested by Ho Chi Minh City Police in coordination with professional units of the Ministry of Public Security and local police forces.

“I realize that my actions were wrong and I deeply regret what I have done. Vietnamese police treated me properly and provided conditions for me to eat and maintain good health,” Vaa Vaa said.

Vaa Vaa’s accomplice, Tafia Steve, was also arrested. Speaking to police, Tafia Steve stated that he had been hired to come to Vietnam to kill two victims, Lemalu Lorenzo Tovia and Sauni Sam. Although he had carefully planned his escape from Vietnam after the shooting, Tafia Steve was unable to evade Vietnamese police.

“I take responsibility before the law and would like to advise anyone intending to come to Vietnam to commit crimes to abandon such intentions immediately, because you will definitely be arrested by Vietnamese police,” Tafia Steve said.

What did the suspects in the Ho Chi Minh City shooting say?

According to Colonel Nguyen Thanh Hung, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Police, the two suspects are professional criminals, carrying out the attack under the direction of a foreign individual.

To carry out the operation, both entered Ho Chi Minh City via Tan Son Nhat International Airport on May 14. After identifying the target, they studied the victims’ routines before carrying out the shooting on the sidewalk of Truong Dinh Street, Ben Thanh Ward.

Consequences

As a result, Mr. Lemalu Lorenzo Tovia was shot twice and died at the scene; the other victim, Sauni Sam, was shot once and seriously injured and is currently receiving intensive treatment.

Afterwards, the two suspects retreated to an apartment in former District 9 to pack their belongings and flee toward Tay Ninh, attempting to escape to Cambodia, but were later arrested by authorities.