A court in Zhuhai, southern China, has sentenced Fan Weiqiu to death for driving his vehicle into a crowd, killing 35 people and injuring many others in an attack that has shocked the nation.
The incident occurred in November 2024 when Fan, enraged by a divorce settlement, plowed his car into a group of people exercising at a sports center.
The court found Fan guilty of endangering public safety through dangerous means.
In its verdict, the court described his criminal motives as “extremely despicable” and the nature of the crime as “particularly cruel,” highlighting the severe social harm caused by the attack.
Fan’s actions were part of a troubling trend of mass killings in China, often involving people lashing out in frustration over personal matters.
These “revenge on society” crimes have raised national concerns, prompting Chinese President Xi Jinping to urge local governments to take stronger measures to prevent such attacks.
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The sentence, issued on Friday, December 27, 2024, was handed down quickly, much faster than usual in the Chinese judicial system.
This follows another high-profile case from earlier in the week, where a driver in Hunan province was sentenced to a suspended death sentence after injuring 30 people by driving into a crowd of elementary school children and parents.
This driver, like Fan, was reportedly taking out frustrations related to personal losses, in his case, money lost in an investment. The suspended sentence is likely to be commuted to life in prison.
The public killings, typically committed using vehicles or knives, have become a disturbing part of the landscape in China in recent years.
The motives behind these attacks often revolve around personal grievances, with perpetrators taking out their anger on innocent people.
These extreme acts have sparked nationwide debates on mental health, social pressures, and the role of government in preventing such tragedies.