Solved case · 2016
Also known as Ong Teik Kwong's shooting · Ong Teik Kwong's murder
The short answer
On 1 December 2016, businessman Datuk Ong Teik Kwong was shot dead by his bodyguard, Ja'afar Halid, on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway in Penang, Malaysia, on the bodyguard's first day of work. The subsequent shooting also killed two bystanders and injured four others.
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Suggest coverage for Shooting of Ong Teik KwongOn 1 December 2016, at approximately 19:30 local time, Datuk Ong Teik Kwong, a 32-year-old businessman, was shot and killed while being driven along the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway in Penang, Malaysia. Ong was the chairman of Persatuan Kebajikan Amal CK One and was identified by police as the deputy leader of a group known as Gang 24 in Penang. He was seated in his car with a business partner, Lim Boon Leng, in the front, while his bodyguard, Ja'afar Halid — who was on his first day of employment and was believed by some to be mentally unstable — sat behind them.
According to the account, Ja'afar Halid had an argument with Ong and then shot him in the head from behind. The car, which Ong had been driving, crashed into several other vehicles ahead. As the vehicle came to a stop, Lim Boon Leng fled the car on foot, with Ja'afar Halid pursuing and firing at him. All 17 shots aimed at Lim missed him, but the gunfire struck seven other people at the scene, killing two and injuring four. Lim eventually secured a ride from a passing female driver, who dropped him at a petrol station, from where he arranged for a friend to take him to a hospital in Penang.
The two bystanders killed in the incident were identified as Choi Hon Ming, a 32-year-old children's entertainer, and Senthil Murugaiah, a 38-year-old florist. Those injured included Muhamad Amirul Amin Amir, a 28-year-old RTM cameraman shot in the chest; Nurul Huda Abdul Aziz, a 38-year-old TNB assistant manager; Arivarni Krishnann, a 33-year-old doctor; Poh Bee Joo, a 32-year-old banker; and Lee Hong Boon, a 56-year-old factory worker.
Ja'afar Halid was arrested at the scene, and Lim Boon Leng was later detained; both were remanded for a total of seven days while police investigated under Section 302 of the Malaysian Penal Code. Ja'afar Halid was ultimately charged with murder, five counts of attempted murder, and voluntarily causing hurt with a weapon. He denied trying to kill bystanders or injure Lim.
On 16 December 2020, a Sessions Court found Ja'afar Halid guilty and sentenced him to death for the murders of Ong Teik Kwong, Choi Hon Ming, and Senthil Murugaiah, along with 15 years' imprisonment for the attempted murders. On 20 November 2023, the Court of Appeal ruled that Ja'afar Halid was legally insane at the time of the offence, discharging and acquitting him under Section 84 of the Penal Code, and ordering his detention at a mental hospital. However, on 7 November 2024, the Federal Court reinstated all charges and convictions after allowing a prosecution appeal, determining he had been of sound mind at the time. As Malaysia had abolished the mandatory death penalty for murder in 2023, the Federal Court instead sentenced him to 35 years' imprisonment and 24 strokes of whipping, with the previously imposed 15-year term for attempted murder to run concurrently.
Ja'afar Halid shoots Datuk Ong Teik Kwong on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway in Penang; the gunfire also strikes seven bystanders, killing two and injuring four.
Police close parts of the expressway for forensic investigation between 10:30 and 17:00.
Ja'afar Halid is sentenced to death by the Sessions Court for the murders of Ong Teik Kwong, Choi Hon Ming, and Senthil Murugaiah, and to 15 years' imprisonment for attempted murder.
The Court of Appeal finds Ja'afar Halid legally insane, discharges and acquits him under Section 84 of the Penal Code, and orders his detention at a mental hospital.
The Federal Court reinstates all charges and convictions, ruling Ja'afar Halid was of sound mind, and resentences him to 35 years' imprisonment and 24 strokes of whipping.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
32-year-old children's entertainer killed as a bystander during the shooting.[3]
32-year-old businessman shot and killed by his bodyguard.[3]
38-year-old florist killed as a bystander during the shooting.[3]
Bodyguard convicted of murdering Ong Teik Kwong, Choi Hon Ming, and Senthil Murugaiah, and of attempted murder of five others; sentence overturned on appeal for insanity in 2023, then reinstated by the Federal Court in 2024 with a 35-year prison term and 24 strokes of whipping.[3]
From the record
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