Yes, I don’t think it was his first time. They still shoot people daily in China for a variety of offenses. I knew of one execution center…a very nice looking building in Qingdao. But still, if I had to choose someone for that job, I would choose a guy that I know can follow through.

I was hoping the girl didn’t get hit by glass. Still, she and her parents must be very thankful she’s alive.

Glass can sometimes affect the trajectory of a bullet, in some cases to a large degree. Firing from a stand-off position might have been too risky. A round fired from point blank range means the bullet would have less distance to travel before striking the glass, reducing the chance of introducing any variability in its trajectory due to wind or gravity.

It’s obvious that they did try to negotiate with the suspect, since the standoff dragged on into the night. It also looks like the police may have tried to make an entry onto the bus, since you can see the side doors opposite the suspect move and slightly open about 30 seconds or so before the officer fires on the suspect. However, it’s obvious that the suspect noticed the doors being opened, at which point he panicked and visibly tightened his hold on the hostage. Without any further details it’s hard to say if the shooting was what the police had planned all along, or if it was a last ditch effort when what they had originally planned failed.

Regardless, I’m left wondering if municipal police in China have access to the same sorts of non-lethal weaponry that most departments in the states are fortunate to be able to afford.

Actually deafness is a real possibility considering her placement and distance from the gun shot. I’ve shot firearms before and the sound is quiter from behind. I’d assume the sound from the shot radiates out from the exit point, so people in the forward area and closer to the barrel would be at much less risk of ear damage. EG that one scene in Black Hawk Down where the soldier gets a ear full of machine gun fire for 5 seconds (if you wanna read up on it: http://soundmedicine.iu.edu/segment.php4?seg=438).

Nice work on the officer’s part. One shot and no hesitation. Gave the guy plenty of time to surrender. Especially considering he only had one hostage and was in an unbelievably vulnerable situation.