Joe Chan Kwok-chu wears a face mask as he leaves court Monday. Edmond Tang / China Daily

Witness describes how two men died in a failed effort to take down killer

Coroner's court heard Monday about a futile attempt to overcome disgraced ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza on Aug 23, 2010, after he started shooting passengers on board a Manila tour bus carrying visitors from Hong Kong.

Joe Chan Kwok-chu, 47, was one of three men who tried to take Mendoza down.

The other two died in the failed attempt.

Chan gave the inquest a detailed walk-through of the final moments of the tragedy, demonstrating the gunman's actions that led to the deaths of eight Hong Kong residents.

The court heard a recording of a radio broadcast which began several minutes before the shootings.

Mendoza was heard shouting, speaking very rapidly for some duration. Then came a dozen clear gunshots.

Chan recognized the killer's voice and the victims' screaming. "I can still feel my heart beating," he said.

Testifying before Coroner Michael Chan Pik-kiu, Chan described how Mendoza became suddenly irate when speaking on a mobile telephone, being interviewed on the radio. Mendoza shouted something, then dropped the telephone.

"After he shouted, he tossed the phone on the left, then shot at (tour guide) Masa (Tse) on the right, and then turned around to shoot others," Chan said, "it was a series of actions."

Chan stood up, held up his both hands, acted out all the actions of the killer in the court.

His right fingers were badly damaged, still nearly immobile.

Chan testified he saw Mendoza turn toward the rear of the bus as he began shooting at other hostages.

Immediately, three men, 51-year-old Wong Tze-lam, sitting at the front, 58-year-old Ken Leung Kam-wing and Chan, sitting at the back, stood up in the corridor trying to stop Mendoza.

Wong, who was near the killer, pushed the weapon upward.

The crooked cop-turned killer took a couple of steps back and shot Wong twice. Then he fired once at Leung, a few meters behind Wong.

"They fell over immediately, didn't even make a sound," Chan said.

Chan told the inquest he stepped back into his own seat at that point.

He then described how Mendoza alternated his shots from left to right firing repeatedly, while holding his weapon with one hand.

Walking in the corridor, Mendoza fired non-stop.

"One at left, one at right, left, right, left, right," he recalled, "almost one shot every second ... All were close shots."

The killer then came to him. Chan shouted "no", gripped his bag with both hands to block the close gunshot in front of his hand.

"Bang!" he recalled, "the bag was gone."

His right hand was spurting blood. His face was burned and covered with blood.

Mendoza left him after Chan fell down on the seat.

A period of silence followed the gunshots, Chan recalled.

"It was so quiet, I could only hear the sounds of blood dropping and breathing," Chan said, recalling he lay on his seat and didn't move.

He described how he hid under his seat when police outside the bus started shooting.

The local police trying to rescue them at the back door were but stepped back after Mendoza fired at their shields.

"They didn't get me out, I managed to walk out," he said.

At last he escaped through the emergency exit.

Chan said there were more than ten gunshots from outside after the killing.

When he was loaded into an ambulance to be taken to hospital, there were no bandages in the vehicle.

Chan said he believes the victims died unjustly and hopes the inquest can find the truth.

He said he believes the Filipino witnesses fail to attend the inquest because they are fearful of wrongdoings coming to light.

Chan also indicated the "friendly" relationship between the driver and Mendoza.

The driver talked with the killer a lot, laughed sometimes, answered phone calls for him and even passed him a cigarette.

"They looked like friends to me," he said.

The inquest, which opened on Feb 14, continues Tuesday.

China Daily

(HK Edition 02/22/2011 page1)