Society

Police gun down hostage-taker in Shenzhen

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-07 07:30

SHENZHEN - Police shot dead an armed man holding two women hostage in South China's city of Shenzhen after nearly two hours of negotiations failed, local officials said Saturday.

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The man, 26, was in a stand-off with police in Shuiwei Village, suburban Shenzhen, after he robbed a house in the village but failed to flee before being discovered. He held two women in the house, threatening them with a knife and a gun-- which later was identified as a fake gun--as he tried to convince police to allow him to escape.

Police shot and killed the armed man at about 2 pm, after negotiations broke down. Further, district procurators ruled the police action as legal following a field investigation, officials said.

The man, surnamed He, was jobless and came from Central China's Hubei Province, police officials said.