Chinese Offcial Shoots Community Party Chief, Mayor

Beijing: A senior city official in China on Wednesday burst into a meeting and shot the city's mayor and secretary of the ruling Communist Party before committing suicide, in a rare case of gun violence in the country.

The incident occurred in the southwestern Chinese city of Panzhihua, Sichuan Province, local authorities said. The city's Communist Party chief Zhang Yan and mayor Li Jianqin were injured around 11 am when they were participating in a meeting at a local conference and exhibition center.

They have no life threatening injuries, officials of the information department of Panzhihua city said.

The suspect, who was identified as the city's land and resources chief Chen Zhongshu, 54, committed suicide after the shooting, the report said without citing the reason why he went on a shooting spree.

Since China has imposed a virtual ban on private ownership of guns, gun-related violence are rare in the country. Because of this gun attacks on officials by colleagues are also uncommon

Zhang, the party secretary, has worked in Panzhihua since 2006, and the mayor, Li, has worked there since last year. Both officials went to meetings and inspection visits with Chen previously, but there was nothing in the earlier reports to suggest trouble brewing.

Photos on Chinese news websites showed armored vehicles and paramilitary troops massed outside the exhibition center in the aftermath of the violence.

Since China has imposed a virtual ban on private ownership of guns, gun-related violence are rare in the country. Because of this gun attacks on officials by colleagues are also uncommon.

PTI