The body of the man who killed his wife was carried downstairs. Photo by our intern reporter, Bai Jingmeng. A woman coming out from Building 15 was still in shock. Photo by our intern reporter, Bai Jingmeng. Crime scene diagram.
At around 7 a.m. yesterday, in Apartment 15 of Zone 2, Anhui Li Community in Chaoyang District, a middle-aged man broke into a rented apartment where five women lived, and wildly slashed the women inside with a knife, resulting in one death and two injuries. Afterwards, the man committed suicide with the same knife. It was learned that the two deceased were husband and wife, and their blood feud stemmed from marital discord.
A woman in her pajamas screamed for help. "It was like watching a movie; at first, I thought it was a joke," recalled witness Yang Lei (a pseudonym). Around 7:30 a.m. yesterday, he was delivering items to Anhui Li Zone 2 when he reached near Building 15 and suddenly heard hurried footsteps on the second-floor staircase, "the sound was very urgent." Subsequently, a young woman in her pajamas and cotton slippers rushed to the door of the guard room, pounding on the wall with her hands. "She kept screaming and shouting 'Help! Help! There's a murderer!'"
This woman was less than 1.6 meters tall, wearing white pajamas, looking flustered and pale, with blood continuously gushing from her chest. The staff on duty quickly called 110 to report the emergency.
In less than 10 minutes, police officers from the Yuyantan Police Station arrived. Later, SWAT and criminal investigation police also arrived. The injured woman told the police that a man had broken into her rented apartment and started slashing people, after which the woman was sent to the 999 Emergency Center for treatment.
Two dead and one injured inside the apartment
Since the burglar-proof door of Room 201 was locked from the inside, the police could only enter adjacent rooms and observe the situation indoors through windows. Subsequently, the police called a locksmith to come and open the door.
At around 8:20 a.m., the locksmith unlocked the burglar-proof door. The long-waiting police officers rushed in and found two dead bodies and one injured person inside, while another woman was uninjured.
It was understood that Room 201 was a two-bedroom apartment where five women usually lived, all employees of a certain business company. It was learned that the first woman to escape and call for help was surnamed Sun, who shared a room with the deceased Ms. Zhao. Moreover, a Ms. Ying and another woman lived in the living room, and another woman lived alone in another room.
It was understood that on the day of the incident, the woman who lived in the living room with Ms. Ying got up very early and went out before the man broke in, thus avoiding a disaster.
Woman locks toilet door to save her life
According to informed sources, at the time of the incident, Ms. Ying was sleeping in the living room. After the man broke in with a knife, he swung the machete and stabbed Ms. Ying in the waist. In panic, Ms. Ying immediately rushed into the toilet and locked the door.
Afterwards, the man walked into the bedroom where Ms. Zhao was. He kept swinging the knife, and Ms. Sun was repeatedly stabbed in the chest, causing blood to splash everywhere. Ms. Sun shouted as she ran out of the bedroom, down to the main entrance to seek help, but Ms. Zhao inside wasn't so lucky—she was repeatedly stabbed by the man and died on the spot. Then, the man committed suicide with the knife.
One woman was stabbed three times in the chest
At around 8 a.m. yesterday, there were many police cars gathered under Building 15. Police officers dressed in "Crime Scene Investigation" uniforms were frequently entering and exiting the main entrance. Policemen set up a cordon near the entrance, and two security guards were stationed at the gate.
At around 8:30 a.m., the injured Ms. Ying was led out by police officers and taken to the 999 Emergency vehicle. The only woman inside who was not injured was taken away by the police for questioning. Through the window, multiple investigators could be seen wearing gloves, collecting and examining items inside the apartment.
At 11:48 a.m., the body of the knife-wielding assailant was carried out by the police in a body bag. About five minutes later, the body of the deceased Ms. Zhao was also carried out and taken away.
From the 999 Emergency Center, it was learned that when Ms. Sun was brought to the emergency center, she had been stabbed three times in the chest, with deep wounds that had injured her internal organs. The doctors performed thoracic surgery on her to examine the internal organ wounds. By the time this article was published, Ms. Sun was still in critical condition. Another injured person, Ms. Ying, was stabbed in the lower back with a deep wound, causing muscle rupture, but no internal organs were injured, and there was no immediate danger to her life.
The attack stemmed from emotional discord
Yesterday, Beijing police reported that at around 7 a.m. on March 31, the Beijing Public Security Bureau's 110 Command Center received an alarm that a man had broken into a residential building in Zone 2, Anhui Li Community in Chaoyang District and committed a knife attack. Police officers from the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau and the Municipal Criminal Investigation Corps quickly arrived at the scene to handle the situation. Upon investigation, Gao Yan, a 43-year-old man from Jiangsu Province, due to emotional discord, broke into the dormitory with a knife early in the morning of March 31, stabbing his wife Zhao to death and injuring two other women before committing suicide. The injured have been sent to the hospital for treatment, and the police are currently conducting further investigations into the case.
It was learned that after the incident, the staff of the women's company cooperated with the public security authorities for the investigation and visited the injured in the hospital. Regarding other information about the incident, the company stated that it would not disclose further details.
■Recap
The man pretended to be a doctor to commit the crime in the hallway
According to the recollection of the duty personnel at the guard room of Building 15, around 7 a.m., a middle-aged man in his forties walked in. Because it was somewhat dark, the duty personnel did not remember the man's specific appearance. The man told the duty personnel that he was a doctor, waving something similar to a CT scan in his hand, saying he was there to see the female employees upstairs.
The duty personnel did not suspect anything, and subsequently, the man went upstairs toward Room 201.
The property management personnel of the community introduced that the community's security had always been good previously, and they didn't expect such an event to occur. After the incident, they will strengthen security measures.
■Deceased
Diligent worker and department leader
According to colleagues of the deceased, Ms. Zhao was in her early forties, having worked in the company for more than two years. Before the incident, she was the deputy director of a certain department, known for being hardworking and kind-hearted. "Ms. Zhao worked very diligently, and it was not easy for a woman to become a deputy director in such a short time."
■Assailant
Temperamental and had been in a car accident
According to colleagues of Ms. Zhao, the assailant Gao Yan had no fixed job, was temperamental, often argued with Ms. Zhao, and had been in a car accident before.