IT WAS a sight that no father would hope to see - his son dying before his very eyes.
For the father of a man who had just been shot point-blank in the head at a coffee shop in Johor Baru on Wednesday, it was a shocking experience that he will never forget.
Rushing to the scene after hearing that his son had been shot, he arrived just in time to see his son take his last few breaths, reported Malaysian newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau.
He told reporters yesterday that he tried slapping his son's face, asking him to hang in there. But blood was flowing from his head like water from a tap, and his efforts to revive his son were futile, he said.
His son, who was identified as Mr Tan Song Wei, 28, died at the scene after the pre-dawn shooting.
Lianhe Wanbao reported that Mr Tan, whose nickname was "Brother Wei", was having breakfast with four friends at a 24-hour coffee shop at Jalan Perkasa 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah on Wednesday.
The coffee shop was rather empty with about 15 customers when a Proton car pulled up at 5.30am.
Three people with their faces masked alighted from the car and walked up to Mr Tan's table.
One of them pulled out a gun and fired two shots at close range at Mr Tan's forehead. The trio then ran back to the waiting car which then sped away.
Newspaper reports speculated that one of the three was a woman and that the killing could have been a contract hit.
Johor Baru police arrested four suspects, including a woman, in the northern part of Johor Baru on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Tan's father, who declined to be named, told reporters: "When I think about the circumstances, I still feel heart pangs."
He added that he often nagged at his son to find a stable job and not to mix with shady characters.
Nevertheless, Mr Tan was filial, obedient and would never talk back to his parents. Whenever they scolded him, he would hide in his room to avoid any conflict with his parents. Mr Tan's father said that he used to be very strict with him.
Father and son used to go fishing together, a hobby which M rTan had taken up as a young boy.
"He loved fishing. He would give the fish he caught to our neighbours or relatives. Fishing is supposed to cultivate patience, but my son had quite a bad temper," he added.
And after his son got married, he could no longer continue to be strict with him.
Mr Tan leaves behind his wife and two daughters. The older daughter, seven, is studying in Primary One while the younger daughter is a year old.
China Press reported that the Tans have not been living together since his mother had a stroke two months ago.
Wife was breadwinner
He continued living with his parents at Taman Skudai Baru, a three-minute drive from where he was shot, while his wife and children moved out to live with her parents.
Mr Tan's widow, who also declined to be named, told China Press that she has been the sole breadwinner since her mother-in-law's stroke.
Mr Tan had stopped working to care for his mother.
And since her mother-in-law was no longer able to take care of their children, she returned to live with her parents so they could look after the kids.
She said: "Every Friday, I would take my children to their father's house to be with him."
When asked how her husband was coping without a job, she replied: "I was supporting the entire family." She described him as a filial son and a doting husband.
Regarding that fateful day, she said: "The only reason my husband left the house so early in the morning was because his friends had made an appointment with him."
She was calm during the interview, China Press reported.
Mr Tan's older brother,Mr William Tan, 36, said that as he had been working in Kuala Lumpur, he had drifted apart from his brother.
He said: "My little brother's financial situation was good. He would often give my parents money. We never heard about any financial difficulties."
But he added that he did not know what sort of friends his brother had been mixing with.
"As our mother has suffered from a stroke, our family has decided to keep the news of our brother's murder a secret from her for the time being. We do not want to aggravate her illness any further."
Mr Tan's companions who were with him at the coffee shop were still reeling from the shock.
One of them, a woman, shouted at reporters: "If you dare to take my photograph, I will hit you!"
When contacted yesterday, Johor Baru North police chief Assistant Commissioner Ruslan Hassan told The New Paper that investigations are still ongoing.
Nanyang Siang Pau quoted the police as saying that the four suspects are aged between 30and 45 years old.
The police said that the suspects' urine tested positive for methamphetamine.
