By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
The Combined Logistics Command yesterday promised to launch a full investigation into the death of a second lieutenant in Penghu after the officer’s family questioned the cause of death.
Lee Che-yu (李哲宇), a second lieutenant who served on Penghu, was found dead outside a military base on Monday morning with a T-91 combat rifle at his side after being reported missing the day before.
Media reported it was suspected that Lee committed suicide, with earlier reports saying that he was suspected of fleeing the base with weapons.
Lee’s family said at a press conference organized by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) yesterday that they do not believe he would commit suicide and that they had suffered because of the media’s inaccurate reporting of his death.
Lee had asked a fellow officer to buy dinner for him before he went missing, Tsai said, adding that Lee’s body position and the location of his gunshot wound suggested ha had not committed suicide.
“Was there something behind the incident? Could he have been murdered? There is a possibility,” Tsai said.
Chang Shan-tung (張善東), director of the Combined Logistics Command’s political warfare department, apologized to Lee’s family at the press conference and promised to launch a full investigation into Lee’s death.
Chang apologized for the premature statements made by the military that stated that Lee was suspected of fleeing the base with weapons before an thorough investigation had been completed and for the grief caused to his family.
The command would disclose a final conclusion on the case after a thorough investigation by military prosecutors, Chang said.