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Family blames slow police reaction for slaying of father

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-12 11:04

A slow response from police is being blamed in the death of a 56-year-old father who was stabbed by a thief he had earlier helped apprehend.

Two police officers were suspended after the tragedy in which Li Dongfeng was killed in his home in Wuhan, Hubei province on Sunday.

Li Fei, daughter of Li Dongfeng, and her fiance, Guo Zhen, discuss events of Aug 9. [China Daily/photo by Tian Chi]

The man's family said a thief, who has been named as Wu Jun, tried to rob Li's daughter, Li Fei, and her fiance, Guo Zhen, outside the family home.

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Li helped Guo fend off the would-be thief and security guards later removed Wu from the residential complex.

The family says police were called three times to attend the scene after the attempted robbery.

However, before officers arrived, and some 50 minutes after the original incident, Wu returned and broke into the house where he fatally stabbed Li.

"I called the police station four times but they didn't come until the final call when my father was stabbed by Wu," Li Fei told China Daily Tuesday.

The family said all the calls had been recorded by police.

Li Fei and her fiance said police negligence led to the death of her father.

"This morning, a policeman came to us saying that if we had any request for compensation, we could discuss it at the police station," Li Fei said. "And he said we should solve the problem in a 'normal and rational' way, rather than through the media."

Guo added: "We only want to tell the truth to the public and bring justice for the dead. If the policemen had fulfilled their duties, the incident could have been avoided."

The police have admitted mistakes, Guo said.

A representative from the police station could not be reached for comment.

Wuhan public security bureau has established a united investigation team to probe into the case.

Wei Anming, deputy director of the police station, has been suspended along with the two officers on duty at the time, said a section chief in the political department of the bureau, surnamed Pan.

Officials, headed by Li Haiqing, the secretary of the Politics and Law Committee of Jianghan district, have attended Li's home to console the family and promised an appropriate solution will be found.