Police shoot dead hostage-taker in Carrefour outlet

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-29 19:25

KUNMING - Chinese police shot and killed a knife-wielding man who injured three people and took another hostage in a Carrefour store in the southwestern city of Kunming after a four-hour standoff on Saturday.

The hostage, a nurse sent there to treat the injured, was rescued unharmed, a spokesman for the Kunming Municipal Public Security Bureau told reporters.

The injured people, including two customers and a salesperson, are being treated at a local hospital. One of them is in critical condition.

The 39-year-old man, Lu Zhiwen, was believed to have been disappointed in a love affair, and that's probably why he staged the attack, the spokesman said.

"He threatened to kill the hostage if his girl friend doesn't go to the store to see him," he said. "Police had to shoot and kill him to ensure the hostage safety when the nurse was put in great danger."

Lu had criminal record, he said, providing no more details.

Police are further investigating the incident.

Witnesses and police said the man wielding a knife went into the French retail outlet at about 9:37 a.m. and suddenly began hacking at customers.

He injured three people on the second floor, took another one hostage on the third floor and hid in an office.

A female nurse was sent inside the store to treat the injured, police said the man then took the nurse hostage and released the other person he had been holding.

The man was shot dead at about 1:30 p.m..

The attack took place in the Carrefour store on Longquan Road in the northern suburbs of Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province.

Carrefour has opened four stores in Kunming since 2002. The Longquan store opened on September 8, 2006 as the fourth outlet in the city. It spans more than 7,000 square meters.

Since entering the Chinese market in 1995, Carrefour has opened 118 stores on the Chinese mainland. It employs almost 50,000 people.