Zhou Kehua

Case record: Zhou Kehua

Zhou Kehua (simplified Chinese: 周克华 ; traditional Chinese: 周克華 ; pinyin: Zhōu Kèhuá , February 6, 1970 – August 14, 2012) was a Chinese gunman suspected of murder and robbery.

Background

Zhou Kehua was born in Jinkou Town, Shapingba District, Chongqing in February 6, 1970.

In 1985, at age 15, Zhou was jailed for 14 days on molestation charges.

In 1991, Zhou stole a shotgun in Chongqing.

In 1997, he purchased a Type 54 pistol near the border of China and Burma in Yunnan Province.

After a Chinese police claim that he had been a mercenary soldier in Burma until 2004, his familiarity with guns was explained by police investigators in Changsha.

Investigation and status as a wanted suspect

Zhou Kehua was an A-level wanted criminal of the Ministry of Public Security.

Police classified Zhou as a “class-A” suspect.

In all, 5.4 million yuan in rewards were offered for tips leading to his capture.

His DNA information, provided by police in Jiangsu Province, and his physical description, provided by police in Changsha, Hunan Province, laid a “solid foundation” for the operation, police in Chongqing said.

Death and police action

A massive manhunt was under way for Zhou Kehua on Monday.

On August 14, 2012, Zhou was shot dead by police in China’s Chongqing, state-run media said. Two policemen spotted the suspect in an alley and exchanged gunfire with him, officials said.

The man, identified as Zhou Kehua, was accused of wounding several others in robberies, Xinhua news agency said.

Evidence and reported scene details

Pictures released by Chongqing police showed Zhou in a blue T-shirt and a pair of suit pants lying in a pool of blood with at least one visible bullet hole in his head and a mobile phone, a pair of sunglasses and a small handbag near his body. The pistol that Zhou used in the robberies could also be seen in the photos.

Crowds of local residents once gripped by the terror created by the alleged serial killer were seen standing along nearby streets, watching a police vehicle carrying Zhou’s body leave the scene.

Controversy about identity

Despite repeated confirmations from Chongqing authorities, many Chinese were suspicious that the killed person was not Zhou Kehua, but instead a plain clothes policeman killed by accident.

Zhong Shan Commentary, a Hunan TV show, summarized the suspicion and accusation on August 21, 2012.

A debate emerged on the internet about the fugitive bank robber Zhou Kehua, who was shot dead by police in Chongqing on August 14. Some cast doubts on his death, saying the dead man was a policeman from Changsha.

The speculation was dismissed after the policeman himself came forward.

The policeman in the circle, surnamed Duan, was said to resemble Zhou Kehua, dubbed the most dangerous man in China.

One of Duan’s friends said they’d recently had dinner together. The speculation triggered anger among his colleagues, and Duan’s colleagues confirmed he was a policeman in Changsha and wasn’t involved in the Zhou Kehua case.

Duan himself was also surprised.

Mr. Duan, policeman from Changsha, said: “I was killed? I have nothing to say. It's ridiculous.”

Duan said the photo had been posted on the police station’s website, and he didn’t know why he was linked with the Zhou Kehua case: “I'll reserve my right to lodge an appeal.”

The Changsha police said that all officers involved in the case had returned from Chongqing, and that no one had been shot dead by mistake.

Timeline

• April 22, 2004 — One woman was shot dead and another woman injured in a bank robbery in Jiangbei district, in Southwest China’s Chongqing. The suspect took 70,000 yuan ($11,005).
• May 16, 2005 — Two suspects shot and robbed a couple near a bank in Shapingba district in Chongqing. A passer-by was also shot. The couple died. The suspects made off with 170,000 yuan.
• March 19, 2009 — A People’s Liberation Army soldier standing guard outside a garrison in Chongqing was shot dead. The victim, identified as 18-year-old Han Junliang, was shot twice in the chest with a pistol. The suspect took the garrison guard’s submachine gun and ran.
• Oct 14, 2009 — A 56-year-old farmer was shot dead in a park in Tianxin district of Changsha, capital of Central China’s Hunan province. The suspect used a homemade gun.
• Dec 4, 2009 — A 41-year-old man was shot dead outside a bank in Tianxin district of Changsha. The victim had withdrawn cash and was walking to his car when the suspect shot him in the head. The suspect took 45,000 yuan from the man.
• Oct 25, 2010 — A trading company owner was shot dead in Yuhua district of Changsha.
• June 28, 2011 — A 48-year-old businessman was shot in the head and stomach as he got out of his car near a construction site in Tianxin district of Changsha. The man was taken to a hospital and survived.
• Jan 6, 2012 — A 42-year-old man was shot in a robbery in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. He was robbed shortly after he withdrew 200,000 yuan from a bank in the Xiaguan district. The suspect fled the scene by jumping into a vehicle. The victim died in a hospital.
• Aug 10, 2012 — A woman was shot dead and two others injured in front of a bank in Shapingba district in Chongqing. A total of 250,000 yuan ($39,300) was stolen from the victims. A railway police officer was killed when patrolling a section of railway.
• August 14, 2012 — Zhou Kehua was shot and killed by police in Chongqing.

The offence (suspected series)

Since 2004, Zhou Kehua was suspected of being involved in a series of robberies and shootings.

He was suspected of having killed ten people and robbed millions of yuan in Jiangsu, Hunan and Chongqing between 2004 and 2012.

Authorities described him as “ruthless and highly dangerous” and said he had become adept at dodging police.

“We have not seen this kind of cold-blooded killer in years,” an unnamed police official was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Other details

The search for Zhou had been going on since Friday morning, as he was suspected of having killed a woman and injured another two in a robbery in which he was thought to have stolen 250,000 yuan ($39,300) from the victims.

Zhou was also suspected of killing a railway police officer on Friday when the officer was patrolling a section of railway.

Police believed Zhou was responsible for a string of robberies in Chongqing and Changsha, and one earlier this year in Nanjing.

Zhou Kehua became infamous for robbing people withdrawing money from banks and repeatedly dodging police manhunts.

Mr Zhou was born in rural Chongqing and was believed to have worked in other cities in the last 25 years, including as a porter at a railway station.

He served time in Yunnan province for trafficking firearms.

The killing of a policeman in Chongqing on August 10th set off a massive manhunt that ended 4 days later in a shoe factory.