China Vice

Shoot 'em up in Guangzhou

It seems that southern China has gone gun happy.  Read the following report for more information on a recent gun battle in suburban Guangzhou. 

Source: Xinhuanet (Guangzhou Daily), 5 June 2006

Translated by Xiao Zhu

A gun battle took place in an alley behind Summer Gardens in Guangzhou's Huangpu District on June 4.  According to witnesses, two sides consisting of over ten men fired more than 10 shots, with one gunman being injured.  By the time police arrived at the scene, the two sides had both taken off. 

White Toyota left behind at the scene

When the reporter arrived at the scene,  a small and white Toyota sedan with the number plate "Yue ABXX5" was parked in front of the 19^th Gate in Summer Gardens.   Fresh blood was on the doorhandle of the driver's door.  According to witnesses, the car was left behind by the gunman.  Before the rain, there was even more blood stains with the ground also bearing traces of blood.  It is believed that the gunman was injured. 

Using the sedan as the centre, the police have roped off more than 20 metres to prevent people from entering the scene.   The alley where the gun battle took place is seven to eight metres wide, with walls on one side and several residences on the other.  This includes the first floor of one building that houses more than three families.  Outside one home, several metres away from the Toyota, there is an electricity pole surrounded by the shattered glass from the car's brake lights and windows.  It is believed that the gunman reversed into the pole while trying to escape. 

Gunman fired ten shots

"They fought for around ten minutes and fired more than ten shots - it was really noisy," said a nearby business owner.  According to her, the gun battle was extremely sudden.  After hearing gunfire, their first reaction was to close the door to avoid being hit by a stray bullet. 

One young man told the reporter that the gunfire was concentrated, causing him to hide in his home.  However, his brave friend saw the gunman shooting from the passenger seat of the Toyota.  Due to the violent nature of the fight, the gunman hid his face while pointing the gun out the window. According to the brave friend, the Toyota reversed into a parking space while the gunman escaped. 

"In total, there were more than ten men, including two who concealed their faces. I don't know why they started to fight," said Mr Shi, a resident of a nearby street who saw the entire gun battle.  From the vantage point of his building, Mr Shi roughly calculated that both sides had seven to eight guns, with one gun more than 30cm in length.  After the gangsters left, there were more than ten leftover shells on the ground. 

According to Mr Shi, the gangsters used a total of four to five small sedans, including a Mitsubishi with the number plate "Yue G01XX7" and a white sedan with the number plate "Yue GV4XX7".  Before the arrival of the police, both sides had hastily driven off.  The reason behind the fight is still not clear.  (Journalist: Ren Shanshan)

Link to Xinhuanet Report