Prelude
Li Xianliang (李献良) was from Chicun village in Zhaotong Township, part of Yuanshi County. Li, aged 36 at the time of the attack, worked as a forklift operator for a coal yard of Shengxing Chemical Co. Ltd. outside of Nanzuo since 2008. He resigned in July 2010, reportedly over a dispute over higher compensation. [3] [4]
In the morning 1 August 2010, Li came to the coal yard for his final day of work, receiving his last wages up front before attending a farewell banquet organised by his manager. During the dinner, Li drank "a considerable amount" of baiju liquor, with his blood alcohol content measuring 154 milligrams per 100 millilitres during a breathalyzer test at 20:00, around five or six hours later. [3] [4]
Attack
At approximately 15:00, Li was in the process of using a loader to fill coal into a truck from Qianxian when the truck driver, Qian, accused Li of mixing in coal dust and gangue into the order. An argument broke out, which was broken up by the coal yard's owner, Zhang. Li subsequently re-entered the shovel loader and rammed a makeshift annex building, killing a resting customer inside. [4]
At 15:47, Li drove the loader out of the yard onto Jingyuan Road. After ramming into the wall of another nearby coal yard, the loader continued west, purposely ramming other vehicles and steering into pedestrians. At about 16:00, after driving two kilometres, Li turned south into the residential area of Nanzuo, where a street market was being held. In town, he crashed into parked vehicles and intentionally ran over small shops and pedestrians. [1] [5] [6]
A passersby jumped onto the tractor, and one stabbed the driver in an attempt to stop the attack. The killer tried to attack the passersby with a crowbar and a brick before being subdued. [1] Eight of the victims died at the scene of the attack, while another three died in a hospital. [2] The youngest victim was five years old. [7] The rampage lasted for about an hour. [8]
