Attack type Stabbing Non-fatal injuries 5 Location Nanping, China | Deaths 8 Perpetrator Zheng Minsheng | |
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Date 23 March 2010
7:20 am – (UTC+8) | ||
The Nanping school massacre／stabbings (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. The incident occurred on March 23, 2010, around 7:20 am local time (UTC+8). It was the first of the 2010 Chinese school attacks.
Contents
Incident and casualties
The children were attacked outside the gates by a man as they were arriving for school at 7:20 am local time (UTC+8). (Before the attacks, it was the school's practice to keep the gates shut until school began at 7:30 am) The perpetrator was subdued on the scene by three adults. Of the eight fatalities, six died at the scene and the other two later in hospital. The deceased were four boys and four girls.
The school, which has around 2,000 students, closed for the day on March 23 before reopening the following day.
Perpetrator
Zheng Minsheng (April 30, 1968 – April 28, 2010) who had previously worked as a community doctor, was arrested. 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. Zheng later told police investigating the crime that he thought "life was meaningless", and confessed to the crime. He was charged with intentional homicide by the province's procuratorate.
At the trial, police stated that Zheng had no history of mental illness, contradicting earlier reports. Zheng said that he performed 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 April 8, 2010. Zheng was executed by shooting twenty days later.