| Nanping school massacre | |
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Nanping's location (in orange) in Fujian Province
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| Location | Nanping, People's Republic of China |
| Date | 23 March 2010 circa 7:20 am – (UTC+8) |
Attack type |
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| Deaths | 8 |
| Injured | 5 |
| Perpetrator | Zheng Minsheng |
The Nanping school massacre/stabbings (Chinese: 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.[1] The incident occurred on 23 March 2010, around 7:20 am local time.[2] It was the first incident in a string of school attacks in China. The perpetrator later confessed to the crime, telling police investigators that "life was meaningless".
The children were attacked outside the gates by a man as they were arriving for school at 7:20 am local time (UTC+8).[3] (Before the attacks, it was the school's practice to keep the gates shut until school began at 7:30 am)[4] The perpetrator was subdued on the scene by three adults.[5] Of the eight fatalities, six died at the scene and the other two later in hospital.[6] The deceased were four boys and four girls.[7]
The school, which at the time had around 2,000 students,[8] closed for the day on 23 March before reopening the following day.[9]
Zheng Minsheng
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|---|---|
Zheng in custody
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| Born | 30 April 1968 |
| Died | 28 April 2010 (aged 41) |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Criminal penalty | Execution by firing squad |
Date apprehended | 23 March 2010 |
Zheng Minsheng (30 April 1968[10] – 28 April 2010) who had previously worked as a community doctor, was arrested.[11] The Associated Press reported that, according to a Nanping city government official who refused to be named, Zheng had a history of mental health issues.[12] Zheng later told police that he thought life was meaningless,[7] and confessed to the crime.[13] He was charged with intentional homicide by the province's procuratorate.[14]
At the trial, police stated that Zheng had no history of mental illness, contradicting earlier reports. Zheng said that he committed 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 8 April 2010.[15] Zheng was executed by shooting twenty days later.[16]
Names of those killed during the massacre in English and Chinese, along with the grade they were in:
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Non-political mass violence in China
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| Arson |
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| Bombings |
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| Shootings |
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| Stabbings |
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| Vehicular |
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| Other |
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26°38′31″N 118°10′39″E / 26.6419°N 118.1776°E / 26.6419; 118.1776
