POLICE were hunting for a man accused of using a shotgun to kill an old couple and severely wound their six-year-old grandson after a financial dispute in Hengyang City in central China's Hunan Province, a local news portal reported yesterday.
Tan Bingkun, a local villager, was seen breaking into the house of Zhao Zilin on Saturday night as Zhao was washing his feet in the kitchen with his grandson. The boy's grandmother, Luo Maijin, was watching TV in another room. Witnesses said Tan fired at Zhao with his shotgun as soon as he broke in. He also shot the boy in the head, they said.
Hearing the shot, Luo picked up another grandson, who is 10, and they hid in the home of a neighbor, news portal voc.com.cn, reported.
But villagers said Tan kicked open the neighbor's door and mortally wounded Luo. The neighbor surnamed Su said Tan shouted at her, "What are you looking at? I have killed several. I don't care whether I kill one more."
The six-year-old boy remained in hospital with severe wounds. His elder brother escaped after hiding in a pile of tiles, the report said.
Zhao's daughter rushed home from Guangdong Province. She said her father had called her before the shooting started, telling her that he had quarreled with Tan over money and Tan threatened to kill his family.
She said her father resurfaced a road with his own money recently, and he asked Tan to contribute a little because Tan's family also benefited from the roadwork. Tan had refused, she added.
Tan, 42, had served a term in prison and opened an aluminum materials shop after he was freed, villagers said. A nearby shop owner said Tan seemed introverted and liked to hunt birds and rabbits.
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