Chinese official shoots 2 cadres, then kills himself

BEIJING – An official allegedly shot and injured two leaders of a city in southwestern China on Wednesday as the pair held a meeting in a conference centre, and later killed himself, local authorities said.

The suspect entered the venue where the Communist Party chief and mayor of Panzhihua city in Sichuan province were meeting and shot continuously before running off, according to a statement from the city’s information office.

The statement said that the suspect, identified as the city’s land and resources chief, Chen Zhongshu, was found dead on a basement floor in the conference centre. It said he had committed suicide. The statement gave no possible motive for the attack.

The injuries of the city’s party chief, Zhang Yan, and mayor, Li Jianqin, were not life-threatening, the statement said.

Shootings are rare in China, where gun ownership is heavily regulated and private ownership of firearms is generally illegal.