Who killed Mr. Masa Tse (update!)

The unbelievable incompetency of the Filipino police and government has, naturally, led to many conspiracy theories. I have been in the view that the negotiation (or non-negotiation) of the authority is more to blame than the police/SWAT team -- because according to the survivors (e.g. Mr Chan -- who was smart enough to stock his backpack with bottled water and shield his head with the backpack and his both hands), Mendoza fired at them shortly after Mr. Masa Tse was shot. i.e. that would make the timing well before the hammering fiasco. (yes, they were incompetent, the lost an hour which could have saved a few of the wounded. but it was the failed negotiation that triggered the shooting)

However, evidence has surfaced (shown in TVB tonight as well) that there was a suspicious bullet hole in the front of the bus, quite likely from the outside, exactly at the time when Mr Tse fell. (which was before the bus moved and got shot at the tires)

from this cnn video (titled "manila hostage crisis mishandled?), one of the victim was shot from his left ear.

I do not know who this victim (shot at his left ear) is. But it won't be difficult to find out.

1. Mr. Tse was facing the door at the time
2. If Mendoza shot him, he would be shot from behind
3. If the SWAT team shot him, there would be a bullet hole on his left face, quite likely his left ear but can be other area on the left side of his face or neck. And the bullet track would be going in from lower left to upper right.

Now his body is in HK. An autopsy will tell us whether 2 or 3 is the case. An it would be easy to find out who shot him. Follow the red line on the figure, the shooter is not too far from the bus in the front.

If Mr. Tse was shot by the SWAT team. There may indeed be a conspiracy -- and an explanation to why they went in length to smash the harmless window panes. And if a SWAT member was the first to shoot a hostage -- what triggered Mendoza's outrage may not be his brother being handcuffed, but maybe he felt that he would be blamed for killing Mr Tse anyway -- and will be shot at the spot.

Survivor Chen was unable to see Tse at from his seat. So Chen may not know what happened in the front. But the driver was in a position where he could witness it. Has he seen it? Does he have a side (or made to choose side) in this conspiracy?

Update: (ATV & TVB News) The Philippines authorities released the autopsy report, showing Tse shot by a bullet on the neck, with ATV's graphic illustration initially showed the bullet from right in, left out -- seems to refute the conspiracy theory (and perhaps consistent with the speculation that the same bullet went through and hit the front window pane. However, it was not clear if the the 'direction' of the bullet was unambiguously concluded. This is reinforced TVB news illustration which only mentioned that the bullet went through Tse's neck. i.e. omitting the direction of the bullet, while stating/drawing with no ambiguity the directions of the bullets for other victims.

Update 2: According to Ming Pao (Aug 28, quoting GMA TV in Philippines), Tse was shot form left side, supporting the conspiracy theory.

• 8名死者中，機智致電回港通報的領隊謝廷駿是頭部中槍死亡，子彈由左至右射入其頸部對上位置

update 3: Singtao (AUG 29) spelled out the issue as well

• 菲律賓驗屍報告顯示，謝廷駿是左臉頰中槍，惟港方卻發現他是頸項中槍。據調查透露，謝是被槍手射殺，當時謝站在車頭面向車門（左臉頰向車頭玻璃方向，所站處地方狹窄），其身體右邊則暴露在槍手，推測槍手從謝的右邊開出致命一槍，但卻是左臉中槍，存在疑點。