Soldier killer still at large, armed

By Tan Yingzi in Chongqing and Hu Yinan in Beijing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-24 08:54

After pulling out hazy images from security surveillance cameras, the Chongqing police have launched a "door-to-door search" for the unidentified suspect who shot dead a teenage soldier at the army barracks here on Thursday, before fleeing with his loaded assault rifle.

"It has been confirmed that the victim, identified as 18-year-old Han Junliang, was shot twice in the chest with a pistol at about 7:40 pm on Thursday. The attacker was wearing a hoodie, which is why his face is not clearly visible in the images captured by surveillance cameras," the police source told China Daily yesterday.

Police have obtained the fingerprint of the suspect, the source said.

"The attacker searched the victim's body for bullets after he shot him; that's how he left the fingerprints," the source said.

The assailant first fired in the air to attract the soldier's attention, the source said. "He (the suspect) then walked up to Han, shot him twice and fled with his assault rifle."

The rifle, a type 81-1, "was empty", the source said, adding that military sentries are normally unarmed.

The type 81-1, modeled on the AK-series rifles, can be loaded with up to 30 rounds.

Han, a native of Shandong province, was standing guard at the People's Liberation Army garrison in the downtown area of Chongqing, China's fourth largest city, when the incident happened. He died in the hospital later that evening.

Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu flew to Chongqing on Saturday night to oversee the progress in the case.

The police, together with the military, have launched a door-to-door search for the assailant, the source said. The police have announced a reward of 300,000 yuan ($43,900) for anyone who can provide clues leading to the suspect's arrest, Chongqing public security bureau spokesman Liu Kun was earlier quoted as saying.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the killer might be an ethnic Tibetan, the inside source told China Daily, noting that a number of Tibetan separatists had snuck into town from Chengdu and were attempting to stage a bombing in downtown Chongqing.

"The attack was only a signal, a show-off," the source said. "After all, there is no point in robbing a gun from an army sentry."

According to the police, Chongqing has "become a passage for trafficking illegal firearms".

Only two months ago, the municipality destroyed four underground weapon arsenals as part of a "high-profile crackdown on guns".

Stockpiled firearms, as well as 10 weapon stores, were discovered in border areas near Hunan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces in an operation on Jan 9 that involved more than 1,000 police officers.

A number of suspects were detained, the police said, without giving an exact number.

Chongqing, an important industrial and commercial hub, with a population of 30 million, launched a six-month anti-crime campaign over the weekend, involving more than 10,000 police officials.