SINGAPORE: A man from Singapore was fatally shot at a Californian gun range on Saturday (Jan 14), according to US media reports.
A coroner’s report on the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s website said the incident occurred on Saturday at 11.35am local time at Raahauge Shooting Enterprises in Corona, California.
The Sheriff Department, which is investigating the case, has deemed the shooting accidental, local media outlet The Press Enterprise reported.
The victim was identified on Sunday as Mr Lionel Tan, 36. Mr Tan, who was an engineer according to his LinkedIn profile. He died just past noon on the day of the incident, according to the coroner’s report.
Mr Lionel Tan. (Photo: GoFundMe)
The gun range was reportedly closed on Saturday while the Sheriff’s Department conducted its investigations. It then reopened on Sunday.
According to Raahauge Shooting Enterprise’s website, it offers pistol, rifle and shotgun options, as well as duck and pheasant hunting. It also offers hunter safety courses.
Speaking to The Press Enterprise, the range’s manager Cindy Raahauge Shenberger said: “We don’t know exactly what happened.” She added that this was the first such incident in more than three decades at the outdoor range.
Mr Tan’s friend, Mr Gabriel Estrada, on Sunday created a crowdfunding campaign to help Mr Tan’s family, who lives in Singapore, with expenses required to bring him home.
“We all lost a good friend and a great person. Lionel Tan left us doing what he loved to do suddenly on the range in Norco, CA,” Mr Estrada wrote on the GoFundMe page.
According to Mr Estrada, Mr Tan emigrated to the US several years ago and studied Aerospace Engineering at Purdue University.
“He was always the first to offer a helping hand or a kind word. He expressed positivity and compassion in everything he did with a dedication to healthy living and a strong work ethic. This world was a better place with Lionel in it; our friend will truly be missed,” Mr Estrada added.
As of Tuesday morning (Singapore time), the campaign had raised US$19,665 (S$28,097), surpassing its US$10,000 goal.
Mr Estrada added on the GoFundMe page that Mr Tan’s family would be arriving in the US on Tuesday. A memorial service would be held there, before a family mass and service which will be held in Singapore.
