The Nanping school massacre (Chinese: 福建南平校园惨案) occurred at Nanping City Experimental Elementary School in the city of Nanping, Fujian Province, People's Republic of China, in which a man used a knife to kill eight children and seriously wound five others.[1] The incident occurred on 23 March 2010, around 7:20 am local time.[2] It was the first incident in a string of school attacks in China. The perpetrator later confessed to the crime, telling police investigators that "life was meaningless".
| Nanping school massacre | |
|---|---|
 Nanping's location (in orange) in Fujian Province | |
| Location | Nanping, People's Republic of China |
| Date | 23 March 2010 circa 7:20 am – (UTC+8) |
Attack type | |
| Deaths | 8 |
| Injured | 5 |
| Perpetrator | Zheng Minsheng |
Incident and casualties
editThe children were attacked outside the gates by a man as they were arriving for school at 7:20 am local time (UTC+8).[3] (Before the attacks, it was the school's practice to keep the gates shut until school began at 7:30 am)[4] The perpetrator was subdued on the scene by three adults.[5] Of the eight fatalities, six died at the scene and the other two later in hospital.[6] The deceased were four boys and four girls.[7]
The school, which at the time had around 2,000 students,[8] closed for the day on 23 March before reopening the following day.[9]
Perpetrator
editZheng Minsheng | |
|---|---|
 Zheng in custody | |
| Born | 30 April 1968 |
| Died | 28 April 2010 (aged 41) |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Criminal penalty | Execution by firing squad |
Date apprehended | 23 March 2010 |
Zheng Minsheng (30 April 1968[10] – 28 April 2010) who had previously worked as a community doctor, was arrested.[11] The Associated Press reported that, according to a Nanping city government official who refused to be named, Zheng had a history of mental health issues.[12] Zheng later told police that he thought life was meaningless,[7] and confessed to the crime.[13] He was charged with intentional homicide by the province's procuratorate.[14]
At the trial, police stated that Zheng had no history of mental illness, contradicting earlier reports. Zheng said that he committed the attack after being turned down by a girl and suffering "unfair treatment" from the girl's wealthy family. He was found guilty and sentenced to death on 8 April 2010.[15] Zheng was executed by shooting twenty days later.[16]
Victims
editThe following were victims of the massacre, listed by names in English and Chinese and the grade they were in:
- Ke Cuiting (柯翠婷), grade one
- Chen Chuning (陈楚柠), grade one
- Ouyang Yuhao (欧阳宇豪), grade one
- Huang Shujie (黄舒婕), grade one
- Peng Fei (彭飞), grade two
- Chen Jiahui (陈佳慧), grade three
- Zhou Yuxiao (周雨笑), grade four
- Hou Chuanjie (侯传杰), grade four
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Man fatally stabs 8 schoolchildren in China". CNN International. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Macartney, Jane (24 March 2010). "Eight children die in Chinese primary school massacre". The Times. London, UK. Retrieved 24 March 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Chinese doctor hacks eight schoolchildren to death". AFP. Agence France-Presse. 23 March 2010. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Juan, Shan; Zhu Xingxin (25 March 2010). "Society Therapists seek to heal devastated children". China Daily. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ Demick, Barbara (March 23, 2010). "Man stabs, kills 8 children outside school in China". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Man Kills 8 at Chinese School". Time. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.[dead link]
- ^ a b Chang, Anita (25 March 2010). "Life 'meaningless' for China school attack suspect". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ Zhi, Lin (23 March 2010). "Man kills eight children at east China school, suspect arrested". Xinhua. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Classes resume after man stab eight students to death in east China". Xinhua. 24 March 2010. Archived from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ 郑民生:走上55秒杀戮之路, sxgov.cn (April 2, 2010)
- ^ Fairclough, Gordon (23 March 2010). "Eight China Students Stabbed to Death". The Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones and Company. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Bodeen, Christopher (24 March 2010). "8 children stabbed to death at Chinese school". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Jingqiong, Wang (26 March 2010). "Society School killer wanted to take revenge on society". China Daily. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ "Procuratorate nods arrest of man killing 8 kids". Xinhua. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ "Man sentenced to death over China school stabbings". BBC News. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
- ^ "China executes killer of eight school children". news.bbc.co.uk. 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2010-04-28.