Villager taken into custody for killing local leader

The suspect involved in killing a local village chief and three of the chief’s relatives over a land dispute on Wednesday in Yanchang county, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, was detained by local police.

The suspect, Hei Yanping, is accused of fatally stabbing the newly assigned village chief Cao Yinghai and two of Cao’s relatives, and injuring six, including Cao’s wife and 1- yearold grandson, the publicity department of Yanchang government said on its official Sina Weibo account on Thursday.

The death toll of the incident has increased to four as of press time, according the Shaanxi-based news.xiancn.com.

Hei had previously quarreled with Cao over land compensation, which was mediated by the local government. Hei carried the attacks after drinking at the wedding of the former village chief’s daughter on Wednesday afternoon, the report said.

“It was inhumanely cruel. Even a senior over the age of 60 and a 1- year- old baby were not spared… The 3- year- old kid was stabbed several times, and his bowels were exposed,” one of the relatives who arrived at the scene later told the media.

The case is being investigated and the details of the alleged land dispute remain unknown.

This is the latest case of violence against village officials over land conflicts, coming shortly after the execution of Jia Jinglong, who killed his village chief in February 2015 in revenge for forcible demolition of his home in North China’s Hebei Province.

Jia’s case ignited public uproar with some legal experts voicing their opposition to the death penalty.