The accident vehicle driven by Zhang Fawang had its front left wheel severely damaged, and both airbags in the front of the car had deployed. Yesterday, Zhang Fawang's daughter viewed the surveillance footage of her father at the Zhongmu Traffic Police Brigade.
Yesterday, Henan Business Daily reported on the incident where a man from Zhongmu died after being taken away by the Zhongmu traffic police for drunk driving. The deceased's family suspected that Zhang Fawang might have died while giving his statement, demanding that the police release the interrogation video.
The focus of public opinion is whether Zhang Fawang's death was related to the questioning at the police station? Where did the injuries on his body come from?
Deputy Director Tang Maqun of the Zhongmu County Public Security Bureau released the interrogation video to the media including Henan Business Daily and Southern Metropolitan Daily yesterday afternoon. In addition, the Zhongmu police also issued a "situation statement" stating that Zhang Fawang claimed he had chest pain while at the police station and died despite resuscitation efforts.
Event Progress
Zhongmu police disclosed the interrogation video to the family and media.
The interrogation video shown by the police yesterday showed: At 19:03 on February 3 (Friday), Zhang Fawang entered the interrogation room of the Zhongmu County Traffic Police Brigade. When Zhang Fawang entered the room, he was wearing a brown leather coat, standing outside the iron railing, swaying slightly. There were three officers in the room at the time.
At 00:06 on February 4, Zhang Fawang was called away by the officer and left the door of the interrogation room.
From entering to leaving, the video showed that Zhang Fawang appeared normal and no fighting occurred.
Around 1 o'clock in the morning, Zhang Fawang was brought back to the First Detachment of the Traffic Police Brigade. Tang Maqun said that between 00:06 and 1 o'clock, "Zhang Fawang may have gone to the information collection room."
However, the deceased's family believed that the video could only prove that Zhang Fawang was normal at the Traffic Police Brigade, but he eventually died after being sent to the accident handling room of the First Detachment located 10 kilometers away.
The Zhongmu police stated that there was no surveillance in the accident handling room of the First Detachment.
Situation Statement
The hit-and-run driver claimed chest pain and died despite unsuccessful resuscitation.
The cousin of the deceased, Zhang Yongqiang, wanted to know where Zhang Fawang had been taken from the accident until his death?
The "statement on the death situation of hit-and-run driver Zhang Fawang" provided by the police stated: After the accident on February 3, Zhang Fawang was taken to BaiSha Town Health Center for blood drawing due to suspicion of drunk driving. Test results showed that his blood ethanol content was 201.22mg/100ml, indicating drunk driving.
After the blood draw, Zhang Fawang was brought back to the First Detachment and was interrogated in the interrogation room of the Traffic Police Brigade around 19:00 on the same day. At around 1 o'clock in the morning on February 4, Zhang Fawang was again brought back to the First Detachment.
Since the interrogation was conducted at the Traffic Police Brigade, why was he brought back to the First Detachment?
Deputy Director Tang Maqun of the Zhongmu County Public Security Bureau explained that according to his understanding, several case-handling officers from the First Detachment still needed to interrogate others, so they brought Zhang Fawang back to the detachment.
The "situation statement" also mentioned: Officer Wang Chang'an asked Zhang Fawang to lie down and sleep for a while, which was refused. Wang Chang'an poured him a cup of hot water and found a police overcoat for him to wear. During this time, Zhang Fawang sometimes watched TV or warmed himself with an electric heater. During the investigation and handling of the case, Zhang Fawang suddenly claimed chest pain at 4:58 AM on February 4. The accident handling officers quickly dialed 120 and sent Zhang Fawang to BaiSha Town Health Center (arrived at 5:04) for emergency treatment, then transferred him to Zhongmu County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, where he ultimately died despite resuscitation efforts.
According to the head of the BaiSha Town Health Center emergency room, Li Hui, when Zhang Fawang was sent to the emergency room at around 5 o'clock in the morning on February 4, "he was already in bad condition, but we still performed rescue measures such as an electrocardiogram."
Family Statements
1. Were Zhang Fawang's external injuries caused by the accident?
In the afternoon, under the guidance of the publicity department officer of the Zhongmu County Public Security Bureau, the reporter went to the parking lot of the involved vehicles of the Zhongmu County Public Security Bureau.
Zhang Fawang's black Hyundai and the silver Zhonghua sedan from the other party were parked in the parking lot. Both vehicles' front and rear driver's seat airbags had deployed.
The front left tire of the Hyundai was blown out, and there were obvious bloodstains on the passenger seat airbag. According to the deceased's daughter, Zhang Fawang was the driver, and the accident did not cause any external injuries to him.
Later, the Zhongmu County police also confirmed this statement.
2. Why were there injuries on Zhang Fawang's eyebrow bone, jaw, and neck?
Zhang Fawang's daughter said that her father was physically healthy, had no injuries before being questioned by the police, and the car accident did not cause obvious external injuries. "How did the injuries on his body occur?"
Tang Maqun showed the reporter photos taken by the forensic doctor on the 4th after Zhang Fawang's death. The photos showed large areas of bruise-like marks on Zhang Fawang's back, both legs, and neck. "According to experts, these are post-mortem lividity, which generally appear 2 to 4 hours after death, not due to beating injuries."
He explained that according to the provincial and municipal forensic doctors' appraisal, the round hole on Zhang Fawang's jaw was an old injury, "not newly formed." The injury on the left eyebrow bone was a collision injury, "these two injuries were not fatal."
At 4:58 AM on February 4, Zhang Fawang suddenly claimed chest pain, fell onto an officer sitting next to him, and his head hit the corner of the chair, leaving a 2-centimeter long, subcutaneous injury on his eyebrow bone.
3. Why wasn't the family notified immediately?
The Zhang family said that according to the police, Zhang Fawang had medical issues at 4:58 AM on February 4. Why didn't the police notify the family in time?
Tang Maqun said that saving lives comes first, and notifying the family even half an hour or an hour later would be acceptable.
Official Voice
Severe punishment will be imposed if police officers are found to have violated laws.
Yesterday, the Zhongmu County Public Security Bureau stated that after the incident, the Zhengzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, the Zhongmu County Party Committee, and the county government attached great importance to it and immediately established an investigation and handling leadership group to actively communicate with the deceased's family. Additionally, an investigation team led by the Zhongmu County Procuratorate was established to legally investigate and handle this incident. If illegal behavior by the police officers is discovered, relevant personnel will be held legally accountable.
Regarding the specific cause of Zhang Fawang's death, Tang Maqun said that since the deceased's family was reluctant to conduct an autopsy on the deceased, currently, the police are actively working with the family, gradually entrusting higher-level forensic institutions to organize a forensic expert group to jointly perform an autopsy on Zhang Fawang to determine the cause of his death. Currently, the forensic expert group has preliminarily judged that no external trauma leading to death was found on the surface of the corpse.