Wei Wentao is training. The Shantou Armed Police Brigade is conducting drills, reacting quickly.
Text and photos by reporter Chen Zhengxin
Correspondents Xu Muquan, Zhu Junye, Wu Jing, Xiong Zhaofeng
Key Points:
A six-hour standoff with a sharp knife always held to the neck of the female hostage.
0.32 seconds determined the life of one person and the death of another.
12 meters away, he pulled out a pre-loaded Type 77 pistol from his pocket, the single bullet precisely piercing through the temple of the bandit, leaving the hostage standing in front unharmed.
This shot created the first classic case in mainland China of using a pistol to kill a bandit and rescue a hostage.
The shooter - Captain Wei Wentao of the Shantou Detachment of the Guangdong Provincial Armed Police Corps, was recently designated as this year's "Loyal Mission Studying Cadre Leader" major model by the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army.
Recently, our reporter conversed with Wei Wentao, uncovering the secrets behind that crucial life-and-death shot...
Wei Wentao's Profile:
Born in 1966, served for 25 years, currently serves as the captain of the Shantou City Detachment of the Guangdong Provincial Armed Police Corps, holding the rank of Colonel. He has written over 570,000 words of practical experience, compiled seven books on duty, training, and management, innovated and reformed 12 training methods and tactics, leading his troops to successfully complete more than 100 significant missions including handling hostage situations, anti-black evil campaigns, and disaster relief operations.
Scene:
A shot from 12 meters away hitting the bandit’s temple
On the morning of April 24, 2009, at a tobacco and liquor shop along Spring Ze Garden in the urban area of Shantou, habitual offender Xie Yuefeng broke into the shop intending to steal but was discovered and took the female employee watching the store as a hostage, armed with a freshly sharpened kitchen knife.
From 5 AM until noon, Xie Yuefeng showed no intention of surrendering. Suddenly, the police intercepted a call made by the bandit, which once again tightened the nerves of the on-site commander – the bandit told his sister-in-law that he could not be imprisoned again, and he intended to die together with the hostage.
After several hours of confrontation, multiple rescue plans had failed. At 11 AM, the bandit roared out a "final ultimatum": within 10 minutes, if his demand to leave the scene was not met, he would cut off the neck of the female hostage with his knife.
Snipers carrying Type 95 assault rifles prepared to rescue the hostage, but the bandit never reappeared in their line of sight. Time passed second by second, the bandit hiding inside the shop suddenly became quiet, everyone on the scene was anxious – Could it be?
Captain Wei Wentao of the Shantou Armed Police Detachment walked into the shop wearing camouflage. Not long after, a loud shout was heard from inside the room, followed immediately by a gunshot!
Everyone outside rushed into the room, except for Wei Wentao who calmly squeezed out of the room with a pistol in hand. He walked to an open space at the door, pulled back the slide of the gun, and blew a few breaths towards the muzzle.
It was this shot fired by Wei Wentao that created the first successful case in mainland China of using a pistol to kill a bandit and rescue a hostage – the bullet accurately hit the temple of the bandit from 12 meters away.
The knife held against the hostage's neck fell to the ground, and the woman he held hostage was successfully rescued.
Revealing Secrets:
Only one bullet in the Type 77 pistol
Reporter: Why did you bring the Type 77 pistol?
Wei Wentao: Given the situation, if the bandit didn't come out of the house, the hidden sniper wouldn't have any shooting opportunity. However, we judged that the bandit had gone completely insane and was threatening the life of the hostage at any moment. I proposed to the on-site commander the plan of using a pistol for shooting, and everyone was very surprised. The Type 77 pistol is the weapon with the shortest sight line currently equipped by the army, and a slight tremor during use could lead to deviation. In other words, a slight misfire might result in the death of the hostage.
Reporter: I heard you only carried one bullet?
Wei Wentao: At the time, Chief of Staff Zheng ZaiZe handed me the Type 77 pistol loaded with two bullets, and I removed one. Because I knew that at that moment, there was only one chance to shoot. If the first shot missed, there would be no second chance. I put the pistol in my pants pocket and dragged my leg when entering because I was worried about accidental firing of the loaded pistol.
Reporter: What was the condition of the female hostage at the time?
Wei Wentao: The entire hostage situation lasted for several hours. Initially, when the female hostage saw us appear, her eyes still held hope. Later, as the bandit lost all reason, the female hostage also fell into despair. By the time I fired my shot, the female hostage had completely collapsed on the ground.
Reporter: How did the shooting opportunity present itself?
Wei Wentao: At that time, the bandit grabbed the hair of the female hostage and pulled it backward forcefully while waving the knife wildly. I shouted loudly, drew my gun, aimed, and completed the shooting action. The shout was to intimidate the bandit; by the time he reacted, I had already used this short 0.32-second interval to prepare for the shot.