Society

11 held in latest shooting in Guangzhou

By Qiu Quanlin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-04 08:04

GUANGZHOU: Police in the capital of Guangdong province have arrested 11 suspects involved in a roadside shooting that injured eight residents on Tuesday night.

The suspects were arrested after midnight on Wednesday, a press release from the Guangzhou public security bureau said.

The shooting started after four male suspects smashed a store that sells bottled water in Hongxing village of Shijing township in Baiyun district.

The knife-wielding suspects injured the storekeeper and sped off in a car. The car's license plate was covered with a black cloth.

As soon as police officers left the scene after questioning eyewitnesses, a man in a van stuck his head out of the vehicle and started firing his shotgun indiscriminately.

"We are still investigating where the shotguns were manufactured," said Zhang Yitao, a press officer of the police authority.

"Most of the suspects are from outside of Guangdong. They were arrested in Jingshazhou and Shijing areas in the Baiyun district suburb," police said.

One of the suspects, surnamed Wang, 29, is a wanted criminal involved in a murder case, while three others have been involved in robberies and other crimes, it said.

Local villagers believe organized gangs are involved. Police said further investigations are still under way, without elaborating.

"We promise to bring the culprits, no matter who they are, to justice," Zhang said.

As of yesterday, all wounded were still undergoing treatment at a local hospital, the Yangcheng Evening News reported.

In another similar case, local police yesterday arrested six suspects involved in a fight that left one man dead in Jianggao township of Baiyun district.

The fight broke out at a hair salon on Wednesday night, after a man, surnamed Chen, had a dispute with the employees of the salon.