On the night of November 18, 1995, a mass shooting occurred in Zhaodong, Heilongjiang. Two suspects, 26-year-old Feng Wanhai and 22-year-old Jiang Liming, armed with a double-barreled shotgun and a small-bore rifle, opened fire at 48 people, killing 32 people and wounding 16 others. 37 families were affected by the incident.
Sizhan Town (四站镇) residents Xiao Hongwei (肖洪伟) and Bai Huichen (白会臣) and their family members (seven people in total) were all killed. The suspects also stole a Type 77 pistol and four Beijing Jeeps. They first drove through Sizhan and opened fire before speeding off to Wuliming Town (五里明镇), located about 30 km northeast of Sizhan. Later, they drove to Xibali Village (西八里乡), located 12 km west of Sizhan, in search of people or "targets", but did not find any. They then drove towards Dechang Village (德昌乡), located north of Sizhan, and stopped at a "Tiancai Stop" (甜菜站) along the way looking for people but being unable to find anyone. In order to "do something on a large-scale and let the whole world know" (as described by Jiang, one of the suspects), the two suspects drove around the towns and villages surrounding Sizhan searching for their next "targets".
The incident came to the attention of all levels in the Chinese government and security agencies. In Heilongjiang, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Yue Qifeng (岳岐峰), Provincial Governor Tian Fengshan (田凤山), Vice Provincial Governor Yang Zhihai (杨志海), and others, made serious comments about the incident.
The Assistant to the Provincial Governor, the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Head of Public Security Department Xu Yandong (徐衍东) urged the Suihua Administrative Office and the Zhaodong Public Security Department to arrest the suspects at all costs. Deputy Head of Public Security Department Chen Yongcai (陈永才), Head of Criminal Investigation Department Sun Bangnan (孙邦男), Deputy Head of Criminal Investigation Department Yan Zizhong (闫子忠), and Head of Criminal Technology Department Che Deren (车德仁) led 16 others to the scene to investigate the case. Security agencies all around the country responded quickly and deployed their forces to assist in arresting the suspects.
Later that night, at 9:40 pm, Feng Wanhai (冯万海, 26, a farmer from Dongxing Village (东兴村) in Sizhan Town), was shot dead by security forces. Jiang Liming (姜立明, 22, a pharmacy operator from Sizhan Town), was injured and eventually committed suicide by shooting himself after being cornered. It is one of the deadliest rampage killings in modern history and the deadliest mass shooting in Chinese history.[5]
