According to local government reports, the killer, 48-year-old Wu Huanming, returned home after the attack and committed suicide. There's no known motive for the attack, although reports indicated he and the school administrator may have known each other:
The attack began at about 8:20 a.m., as children were arriving at the private Shengshui Temple Kindergarten in Hanzhong's Nanzheng county, the government statement said. The area is on the city's rural outskirts in a relatively poor part of the country.This is the fifth such assault on young students in China since late March. What is going on, and why are these crazy guys targeting little kids? Sociologists say it reflects a lack of support for the mentally ill and rising stress resulting from huge social inequalities in China's fast-changing society.
Wu killed the school's administrator Wu Hongying and a student on the spot, then hacked at 18 others, the statement said. Six students and Wu Hongying's mother later died in hospital, it said. None of the 11 others hospitalized was in immediate danger, it said.
Wu is a common Chinese surname and it wasn't clear if the assailant and administrator were related.
A Nanzheng county resident reached by phone said crowds had gathered outside the kindergarten, but information was spotty. The government statement and the resident both said Wu Huanming had rented the kindergarten property to Wu Hongying.
"I saw him [the attacker] before and he looked quite normal," said the man, who would identify himself only by his surname, Li.
The ages of the seven children killed were not disclosed, but kindergarten students would typically be 5 years or less. The official Xinhua News Agency said they were five boys and two girls.
The government has put on a brave face, trying to show that is the problem under control. State media has steered clear of examining what might be motivating these attackers, instead focusing on increases in security. More here: 9 Killed in School Attack in China.