Gao Haiping
Mass murderer
Zhang Pilin
Mass murderer · China · 2002
Zhang Pilin (张丕林) died in the plane crash of China Northern Airlines Flight 613…
111 victims
Jin Ruchao
Mass murderer · China · 2001
Jin Ruchao was blamed and arrested for planning and carrying out the Shijiazhua…
108 victims
Chen Shuizong
Mass murderer · China · 2013
Chen Shuizong (simplified Chinese: 陈水总; traditional Chinese: 陳水總; pinyin: Chén…
46 victims
Cheng Zhengping
Mass murderer · China · 2002
Cheng Zhengping was executed on October 13, 2002. Cheng Zhengping confessed to…
42 victims
Zhang Yunliang
Mass murderer · China · 2009
Zhang Yunliang Zhang Yunliang died in the fire on 5 June 2009. The Chengdu bus…
26 victims
Ali Ben Yanes
Murderer · Franc e · 1971
Ali Ben Yanes was executed by guillotine on May 12, 1973. He and his cousin Hoc…
1 victim
Robert Charles Comer
Murderer · USA · 1987
Robert Charles Comer was executed by lethal injection in Arizona on May 23, 200…
1 victim
Charles Singleton
Murderer · USA · 1979
Defendant: Charles Singleton Race: BLACK Sex: MALE Birth date: 10/24/79 ADC num…
1 victim
John Alexander Dickman
Murderer · United Kingdom · 1910
John Alexander Dickman was convicted of the murder of John Innes Nisbet. John I…
1 victim
- Gender
- male
- Country
- China
- Location
- Yangquan, Shanxi province, China
- Date of birth
- 1957
- Age at first offence
- 24
- Characteristics
- murder-suicide
- Victim profile
- Men and women
- Method of murder
- S elf-made explosive
- Date(s) of murder
- July 22, 1981
- Years active
- 1981
- Date of arrest
- —
- Status
-
Died in custody
Died the same day at the scene; the Yangquan theatre bombing was a murder-suicide on 22 July 1981 when 24-year-old Gao Haiping detonated a self-made explosive device that killed 32 people, including himself, and wounded 127 others.
Background
Gao Haiping was an only child. He worked as a miner and was described as a loner who was pessimitic and dissatisfied with his life.
The offence
The attack was a murder-suicide at a theatre in Yangquan, People’s Republic of China on 22 July 1981. Gao Haiping detonated a self-made explosive device at the San Kuang Club (三矿俱乐部).
Gao Haiping had intended to kill them both with a bomb made of about 3kg of ammonium nitrate with an electric detonator contained in a metal box. The girl who had dumped him previously had wanted to visit a film screening at the San Kuang Club, which had a total of 2056 seats and was run by the Bureau of Mining Affairs (矿务局). When the woman did not show up, Gao entered the theatre alone and took his place on seat 25 in the second row.
At about 8 p.m., Gao Haiping put the bomb on his lap and detonated it manually. The explosion killed himself and 31 other people, for a total of 32 deaths. It also wounded 127 others, with 44 of those wounded sent to hospitals.
The explosion caused a partial collapse of the theatre’s roof and shattered the glass doors of the building.
Investigation
Within 15 minutes, one thousand police officers arrived at the scene to maintain order and start an investigation into the crime.
Gao Haiping was soon identified by a former classmate, who was also attending the screening. Blood tests, as well as the identification of the remains of his clothes by his mother, confirmed him as the culprit of the explosion.
A suicide note and letters to his parents were found in a drawer in his home, as well as explosives wrapped in paper.
Arrest
Gao Haiping died at the scene and was not arrested.
Other details
Gao Haiping stated the day of the bombing that he wanted to go home. He warned a neighbour that the neighbour should not go to the theatre if the neighbour wanted to avoid trouble.
Spotted an error, or have more information about this case?