(Image via yahoo.com)

Business Manager: Brendan Flaherty

Email: bflaherty1@umassd.edu

A 65-year-old in Zhuhai, China, ran over and subsequently killed 35 people and injured eight who were exercising near a popular sports center.

Since then, the media has been scrambling to contain the people of Zhuhai after this terrible act, working to assure them that justice will be served and that they will work hard to prevent such acts.

The media and authorities, by proxy, have refused to release much information regarding the situation. The only thing known about the killer’s identity is his surname, Fan.

Although not much is known about the man, the authorities have theories about why something like this could’ve happened.

According to an article from The Washington Post, these hit-and-run-esque attacks have been happening to “take revenge on society out of anger over personal or financial misfortune,” as taken from Chinese media and The Washington Post.

People exposed to the news have begun to theorize on why this may have happened. Many claim this to be simply one of the most serious cases of random violence in the cities.

This event is interesting because of the day it happened, taking place on the eve of China’s “biggest civil and military airshow, which runs from November 12 to 17 in Zhuhai,” according to CNN.

The Washington Post noted that a series of intense images were posted online and then “taken down soon after they were posted,” leaving some to wonder what might be hidden.

Although it can be noted that the information and images that were spread around likely occurred on Weibo, which is like China’s version of X, they reached 11th on the site’s trending list.

As noted by NBC News, someone commented on Weibo after the incident, “I’m utterly speechless aside from being shocked. I need a moment of silence to calm myself down.”

Police have noted that Fan was apprehended in his vehicle after having already suffered self-inflicted knife injuries. He was then brought to receive emergency treatment so that he would later be interrogated and then punished for his crimes.

Another thing of note is that Fan was recently experiencing “dissatisfaction with the property division outcomes over his divorce,” as CNN noted. Fan has been detained on multiple accounts of “endangering public safety.”

Some of the major figures who have commented on the situation are the Chinese Communist Party in Guangdong province, Huang Kunming, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Kunming released a statement saying that he promises to “deeply reflect” on this incident and work as hard as possible so that something like this doesn’t happen again, as quoted by The Washington Post. Furthermore, efforts will be made to ensure the people’s safety and that the families of the incident are supported.

Xi went on to release a statement regarding the situation, promising to keep the people safe by expanding security to quell dangerous activities before they become lethal.

“We must severely punish the murderer in accordance with the law,” Xi Jinping announced to state media Xinhua News.

Whether or not the attack was intended against the Chinese Government as a form of protesting or if it was simply a malicious attack against innocents because of personal circumstances, the result is the same.

As attacks of this nature are not completely rare, the people of China expect safety in their country. It is up to their leaders now to ensure that the people can feel safe to go about their days without having to worry about a possible attack out of nowhere.