Gunman opens fire on bustling street

Download

One man shot another with a homemade gun on a bustling street in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, on Thursday, police said.

The rare shooting sparked debate among local residents as it reminded them of serial killer and robber Zhou Kehua, who shot four people dead in the provincial capital between 2009 and 2011.

But the shooting on Thursday was sparked by a financial dispute, the public security bureau in Changsha's Furong district said on its micro blog.

Jiang Xinxiang, a police officer from the bureau, said that the two men are being held and an investigation is ongoing.

"The two men intended to have mediation in court on Thursday morning, but they did not reach an agreement. Then they quarreled fiercely on Wanbao Avenue, a busy street in the city," he said.

Around 10:35 am, Li, 42, drove to the street with several other people, but was stopped by 36-year-old Peng, according to Jiang, who only gave the two men's surnames.

Peng shot at Li's face with a homemade gun, and Li picked up a brick and hit Peng's head, Jiang said.

"Li's facial injury has been determined to be minor, and Peng's injury is not life-threatening," Jiang said.

A street cleaner who did not want to be identified said she heard the shot ring out and saw the gunman.

A witness said she passed the street when the incident happened and saw a man lying on the ground, his head bleeding.

Posts on some websites said the shooting was part of a gang fight, a claim that has not been confirmed by the police.

Wang Dawei, a law professor at People's Public Security University of China, said criminal cases involving guns are rare in China, because the country has strict gun control laws.

"But some people have homemade guns, which are not easy to find and hard to control."

Wang said ways to shut down illegal gun workshops need to be found.

Questions:

1. What rare crime occurred in Hunan province this week?

2. Where did it happen?

3. What were the injuries?

Answers:

1. One man shot another with a homemade gun.

2. On a busy street in the capital Changsha.

3. Minor facial injury.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.