Man at centre of China reward controversy kills himself in police stand-off
- The suspect is alleged to have used a knife to kill two of his neighbours and injure three others
- Authorities came under fire for offering a higher reward for his body than for clues to his whereabouts
Ou Jinzhong, who was suspected of killing two people and injuring three others, killed himself in a cave as authorities closed in to arrest him, according to the police.
The case is still being processed, but they believe Ou committed the assaults and murders due to conflicts over a house construction project.
The case received national attention in China after a notice from Fujian police triggered controversy when it offered a 20,000 yuan (US$3,110) reward for clues to find Ou but offered 50,000 yuan (US$7,772) for anyone who found his body.
Once the notice was issued last Tuesday, people said the police seemed to be encouraging people to kill the suspect.
“20,000 yuan for a living suspect, but 50,000 yuan for the dead one. Isn’t this an incentive for people to do something bad?” one person wrote on Weibo.