Police believe suspect angry about not getting better placement

TAIYUAN - A city official in Datong was killed on Saturday and his brother-in-law has been arrested, according to local government.

Wang Weiguo, 51, deputy mayor of Datong, in North China's Shanxi province, was killed about 8:45 pm on Saturday. Zhou Yun, the 59-year-old suspect, has been arrested, the city's publicity and public security departments said on Monday.

Zhou, the older brother of Wang's wife, was apprehended on an expressway from Datong to Yuncheng at noon on Sunday. According to police, he confessed to killing Wang because Wang repeatedly refused to help Zhou and his son get better jobs.

Zhou used to work in a grain depot of the city, but he went to Yunnan province in 2007 to earn more money.

He often visited Wang, hoping the deputy mayor would help him transfer to a public institution with a better salary and also give a job to his son.

Wang did not comply, which according to a news release from the local publicity department might be why he was killed.

The case is being further investigated.

A micro-blogger named Yinzhushanweibo, who first released the news, said Wang was killed in a relatively high-end community in Datong. Police have not confirmed details.

Gu Shengming, 58, director of the government information office in Datong and a former colleague of Wang's, told China Daily he was shocked by the news.

"Wang was friendly. He was skilled at his work and popular among colleagues," Gu said.

Wang was appointed deputy mayor in 2010 and was responsible for educational, cultural and publication affairs, according to the Datong city government website.