by Mary Fonua and Linny Folau

An armed man is still at large in Tonga after shooting and critically injuring a Tofoa shop-keeper in an attempted robbery on Friday night. Meanwhile, the victim's son has spoken out urging people to avoid another disaster in the making and to keep up good relationships.

A 54-year-old woman, "Lena" Ying Jin was shot at close range and left lying in a pool of blood in her small fale-koloa on Vaha'akolo Road by her cold-blooded attacker who fled without taking the money that he had demanded from her at rifle point.

The victim's son said a surgical team at Nuku'alofa's Vaiola Hospital led by surgeon Dr Sam Mesol had worked through the night in a four-hour long emergency operation to repair severe internal wounds.

"We appreciate the work of the doctor who saved her life," said James Bo Xie, who remains by his mother's side. He said a lead bullet passed right through Lena's body when she was shot from behind. The bullet entered her left back at the side, just above the hip, and exited out of the upper right side of the tummy.

He said Lena's condition had stabilized and improved over the last few days but she was still suffering great pain.

"It is a very serious injury," said James, whose extended family in New Zealand, Australia and China are all feeling traumatized by the shock of the shooting. "It's an ethical thing. I don't know how he can pull the trigger like that and shoot an old woman."

James described his mother as a "very nice lady" who speaks a friendly mix of Chinese, English and Tongan and kept good relationships with her neighbours.

Watched

James said their happy family evening with his parents on October 27 had turned into a nightmare. "Even though there are only three of us we like to have a Friday night dinner," he said of the family who emigrated from China and first settled in Tonga in 1998.

After dinner, James left at about 9:45pm to return a DVD to a friend at Fanga and was on his way home when his father Jianshe Sam Xie called him on his cell phone. "He said my mother had been hit," said James, "he didn't want to tell me then that she had been shot in case I panicked and ran off the road."

James arrived at the shop to find his mother lying in a pool of blood, she was still conscious and told him how she had been shot by a "long gun" by a man who tried to take money.

His father told him that Lena went to the shop to put some stock on the shelves when he heard a gunshot, and then Lena screaming. His father had seen the back of a man "running away like a ghost". Lena begged them to take her to the hospital.

"We are Christians and when the operation started at 1:00 am on Saturday we were waiting outside with our friends and praying 'Please protect my mother'. I started to feel scared and I kept thinking of the last thing I said to her: 'Mum, I'm leaving for the video shop I'll be back in a few minutes'.

"It's a tragedy, we never thought something would happen like this," said James.

The family believes the gunman was watching the shop and made his move when he saw James leave.

Red hooded jacket

The gunman was described as wearing a red-hooded jacket with the hood pulled up over the sides of his face. He was about 1.74 m tall, young and dark skinned and spoke English with a Tongan accent.

"My mother had her back to him when he came up and she heard him say 'give me the money' - and at first she thought he was kidding because people tease her all the time. But when she turned around she saw it was a real gun. She must have been terrified - she had only taken a step towards the door to the back when he shot her. He didn't even get the money.

"To shoot a person is very hard. I don't know what made him pull the trigger," said James.

The family think the attacker might be a young man who was loitering across the road sitting on a trailer shortly before the attempted robbery. They said another Tofoa shopkeeper had been knocked down and robbed earlier in the month by a man who was also wearing a big rap coat or similar style of clothing.

Disaster

James said he wanted to "apologize to the police for being rude" that night.

"I just wanted them to find this guy. I told them that if they can't find this guy it's not safe to stay here! I was very upset, but I am sorry for reacting like that."

James said he is telling his mother's story because he believes there is another disaster in the making.

"I am not sure what kind of an environment he is in, but it's not right. If such things keep going Tonga will be really messed-up. I am so worried about this I want the public to know how important it is to keep up good relationships with each other. I don't want anyone else to suffer the pain that my mother has suffered - next time it might be another Chinese or a Tongan - but no-one should ever suffer like that."

"I pray, and hopefully God can help my mother to get though these problems," said James.

Investigation ongoing

Tonga's Police Investigation unit today confirmed that the gunman had not been found but an investigation is ongoing. The police command did not wish to comment on the matter today.