In China, citizens outraged at death of murder accused fugitive Ou Jinzhong

After being on the run for over a week, a murder suspect who garnered immense sympathy from the Chinese public died, eliciting an outpour of grief and fury on social media. According to authorities in the city of Putian, Ou Jinzhong, who was accused of killing two neighbours and injuring three others in China's southern Fujian province, killed himself on Monday while resisting arrest, CNN reported. According to the police statement, Jinzhong was taken to the hospital and succumbed despite massive efforts to save him.

Many police officers and other search crew members were looking for Jinzhong in the hills for the past week after he allegedly attacked his neighbours in a beach village in Putian on Thursday. The police said that they discovered him in a cave on Monday afternoon and apprehended him.

The 55-year-old Jinzhong killed a 78-year-old man and his daughter-in-law, attacking them with a knife, over a long-running land dispute. The man's wife, grandson and great-grandson were also hurt, according to CNN. Many people in China were enthralled by the murder, with many openly wishing that he is never apprehended. 

Why are people sympathising with Ou Jinzhong?

Chinese media and the general public relied on Jinzhong's earlier social media posts, and media reports to piece together an unauthorised narrative of events that may have led to the killings. Many people assumed Jinzhong was just a regular guy who had been brought to the point of despair by a long-running housing dispute. After news surfaced that he had saved a young boy from drowning three decades ago, public sympathy grew even further.

According to Jinzhong's Weibo posts and Chinese media sources, Jinzhong and his family have been homeless for nearly five years, including his 89-year-old mother. They resided in a tin shanty in Putian city. Jinzhong has been repeatedly denied permission to build his own home owing to a property dispute with a neighbour. He claimed he sought help from the police, local officials, the government and the media several times, but the issue remained unsolved.

Pinghai county administration placed a bounty on Jinzhong

A local administration of Pinghai set a bounty for the Chinese murder suspect, offering a bigger monetary reward for confirmation of his death than for information leading to his arrest, causing even more uproar, according to CNN. Many people were shocked to learn of Jinzhong's death on Monday evening leading to social media outrage.

(Image: Pixabay/Representative)