The Nanping school massacre (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.

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 office who refused to be named, Zheng had a history of mental health issues. He later told police investigating the crime that he thought "life was meaningless", and confessed to the crime. Zheng 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 Minsheng was executed by shooting on the 28th of April, 2010.

Wikipedia.org

Swift justice as former doctor Zheng Minsheng is executed for child murders

HeraldSun.com.au

April 28, 2010

A FORMER doctor who stabbed eight schoolchildren to death in an attack that shocked China was executed today.

Zheng Minsheng was put to death in the southeastern province of Fujian for the stabbing frenzy that came in a fit of rage after he was jilted by a lover, Xinhua news agency said.

Zheng went to a primary school in the city of Nanping on March 23 with a dagger, which he used to stab children in the neck, chest, stomach and back before finally being subdued by onlookers and arrested by police, it added.

Five other children were seriously injured in the attack, Xinhua said.

"The consequences of the crime were very serious, the circumstances extremely nasty, the harm done to society huge," Xinhua quoted the Supreme People's Court, which issues final approval of death sentences, as saying.

Zheng had admitted "intentionally killing" the children at a trial earlier this month, but unsuccessfully appealed against the death sentence.

Police investigations had said Zheng carried out the grisly killing spree after a break-up with his girlfriend that left him depressed, earlier reports said.

Zheng had no history of mental illness, the Xinhua said, citing police. Reports at the time of the attack had said the former doctor suffered from mental problems.