Authorities in Wuhan are investigating a suspected shooting that left one people dead and two injured at an outdoor barbecue restaurant on Sunday night, marking a rare incident of gun violence in a country known for some of the world's strictest firearm regulations.
The Qiaokou District Public Security Bureau confirmed the incident Monday, describing it as a case of "deliberate injury" resulting from a dispute. While police did not officially confirm the use of a firearm, social media posts and local media coverage widely identified the event as a shooting. Images and videos that circulated before being removed from Chinese platforms showed graphic scenes of bloodshed, including one victim slumped in a chair with severe head trauma and others lying motionless on the ground.
The attack occurred in the Hankou district's Hanzheng Street area, a bustling neighborhood known for its late-night food stalls and barbecue vendors. According to the Southern Metropolis Daily, the suspect was taken into custody shortly after the incident, though officials have not released further details about the assailant or possible motives.
武汉烧烤店枪击案：三人中枪，警方通报一死两伤
2025年5月18日晚，湖北武汉硚口区崇仁街一烧烤店发生枪击事件，造成三人中枪，其中一人头部中弹。枪手开枪4次后逃逸，距派出所仅30米。 网传信息，嫌疑人用美国陆军半自动手枪“colt m1911”，身份存疑。… https://t.co/8223hnKZ1P pic.twitter.com/rERCVXjCeP — 速速道來 (@speedynews888) May 19, 2025
Eyewitness footage captured the chaotic aftermath, with stunned patrons and pedestrians crowding the restaurant's outdoor seating area. Emergency medical workers arrived on scene and transported the injured via stretcher. One video, later scrubbed from Chinese social media, showed a heavily bloodied victim in a blue T-shirt seated motionless, while two others were surrounded by pools of blood.
China enforces strict gun control laws, and firearm-related violence is exceedingly rare. According to Chinese legal statutes, the private ownership of guns is largely prohibited, with exceptions made for certain hunting or ceremonial purposes. Most public attacks involve knives or vehicles, making Sunday's incident an anomaly that has drawn both domestic and international attention.
The last widely reported shooting incident in China occurred in 2010, when a disgruntled litigant entered a courthouse in central China and opened fire, killing three judges before taking his own life. That case, like Sunday's event, was rooted in personal conflict.
