‘Shooting of suspect in triple homicide justified’

The shooting of the suspect in the triple homicide in San Antonio was justified, according to Chief Prosecutor Jeffery Warfield Sr.

Warfield, in a telephone interview with the Saipan Tribune yesterday, said that, after reviewing all the reports and evidence, he determined that it doesn’t appears that Police Officer Victor Val Hocog committed “any wrongdoings.”

“The shooting was justified,” Warfield said.
The chief prosecutor said Hocog would not be charged with any criminal offense.
Police investigation showed that Hocog, a traffic officer, fired his .9mm pistol at suspect Nan Guang Xi, after the suspect attacked him with a knife. Xi, 32, was hit once in the abdomen; he later died at the hospital.

Hocog sustained a stab wound and laceration in the elbow and rib area. He is currently on leave.
The incident transpired after police were notified of a disturbance at a residence behind the Seventh-Day Adventist School on Feb. 15.

Hocog, who was in the vicinity conducting public education training for the students, heard the commotion and responded to the house.

The officer then saw the lifeless body of a man on the ground at the entrance of the house. He also heard a commotion inside the house, so he cautiously entered and saw suspect Xi waving at him to come in.

Xi, however, suddenly attacked him with a knife, prompting him to fire his gun.

Investigators believe that robbery was the motive behind the triple homicide.

Xi went on a stabbing rampage that killed Hee Soo Kim, 63; Yeon Young Mi, 32; and Lee Eun Jeong, 32. The three were Koreans.

Kim owned a bookstore and was the father-in-law of Mi. Mi was the manager of Memo Fashion in San Antonio.

Jeong was a tourist and a visitor of Mi. She arrived on Saipan on Feb. 10, 2006 and was scheduled to leave on Feb. 17, 2006, police said.

Investigators learned that, on the night prior to the killing, victim Mi had collected money from the establishments that she was managing. Investigators recovered the empty money bag at the crime scene next to victim Mi.

Suspect Xi had a large amount of cash on his body and there were indications showing that the money had come from Mi, police said.

Xi had been reportedly on Saipan since 1996 and was employed at the Neo Fashion Garment Factory until it shut down operations in 2005.

Investigators believe the suspect was having financial difficulty and was seeking assistance to return back to China.

In December 2005, Police Officer 1 Andrew Santos fatally shot Donald Sewel, who was engaged in a fight with two men in Gualo Rai. Then Chief Prosecutor Jeffrey Moots concluded that the action taken by the officer “was justified by the circumstances.”