[Azzi_Kahlila]

By Zhao Wei | 2012-08-15 14:42:25(Beijing Time) | SINA.com

Shot dead or suicide? Public buzz vs. police version

Frenzied serial killer Zhou Kehua was shot dead at the Tongjiaqiao of Shapingba district in
Chongqing on August 14th morning at around 6:40 after a massive four-day manhunt.

However, the buzz over Zhou's death was far from an end.

Netizens fired more than 1 million online posts after Zhou was shot dead, speculating that it is
more likely Zhou committed suicide than being shot.

Zhou Jin and Wang Xiaoyu, two police officers from the Chongqing Municipal Public Security
Bureau, have told the reporter that Zhou was shot dead by them, uncertain about where exactly
Zhou was struck by bullets.

The Chongqing Times reported that eight policemen found Zhou's body indicating suicide,
sparking rumors that the media might misreport the end of the high-profile manhunt. The local
daily has since deleted this post on its Weibo.



A local resident of Tongjiaqiao village described what he saw at the scene on his Weibo: "I was
walking back home from the market at 6:30 a.m., when I came across a man from outside a shoe
factory. I didn't recognize that he was Zhou Kehua until I checked the wanted poster on the wall."
The villager called the police after he went home, and at the same moment, 3 policemen ran over
from around 10 meters away in Zhou's direction. "Zhou Kehua started shooting at the policemen.
He was shot twice with one bullet on his waist, and then Zhou shot himself in the head after
falling down," said the villager.

Ms Tang, a woman living near the scene of the gunfight, said she witness Zhou's committing
suicide after the policemen shot bullet on his waist.

A press conference was held on Tuesday afternoon by the Chongqing police authorities, leaving
many issues in the air. After the conference, a senior officer from China's Public Security Ministry
confirmed to the reporters present that "I'm sure that he (Zhou Kehua) was shot dead by the
police."