Hunan killer who rammed, stabbed pedestrians gets death penalty

A man who killed 15 when he rammed crowds of people with his car and then stabbed passers-by in Central China's Hunan province was sentenced to death on Wednesday.

Yang Zanyun drove his SUV into pedestrians at a public square in Hengyang's Hengdong county around 7:30 pm on Sep 12 and then rampaged with a knife and a shovel.

15 people died and 43 were injured.

At a hearing on Wednesday, Yang was convicted of endangering public safety and sentenced to death, Hengyang Intermediate People's Court said in a statement posted online. His behavior had caused serious harm to the public, it said.

He was also deprived of his political rights for life, the court said.

More than 300 people attended the hearing, including the defendant's family and journalists, according to the statement. It did not disclose whether Yang had filed an appeal.