A dark turn in Beijing as U.S. Olympic tourist is killed
Two relatives of a U.S. volleyball coach are stabbed by a Chinese man, who then commits suicide. Their tour guide is also wounded in the attack at a city landmark.
BEIJING — In an incident that cast a shadow over the start of competition, a Chinese man with a knife attacked the parents of a former U.S. Olympic volleyball player and their Chinese tour guide Saturday, killing one of the Americans before committing suicide.
The victims were Todd and Barbara Bachman of Lakeville, Minn., the parents of Irvine resident Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman, who was a member of the 2004 Olympic team. She is married to Hugh McCutcheon, the current coach of the men's volleyball team.
Todd Bachman died of his wounds and his wife was hospitalized in serious condition.
The incident happened shortly after noon at the 13th century Drum Tower, a landmark five miles from the Olympic village in a neighborhood of lakes, restaurants and bars popular with tourists. The attacker stabbed his victims, then jumped from the tower's second story, about 130 feet above street level, killing himself. He acted alone, the U.S. Olympic Committee added in a statement, quoting Beijing police.
The identity card of the Chinese man listed him as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern province of Zhejiang, according to the official New China News Agency.
The incident was not a welcome development for Chinese leaders, who have deployed over 100,000 police and military personnel to safeguard the Games, in addition to several hundred thousand neighborhood watch volunteers. Top leader Xi Jinping, the presidential heir apparent, earlier said security would be a top barometer of the Games' success.
Beijing and Shanghai have low crime rates for cities of their size, and attacks against foreigners in China are rare.
"It's really sad after the celebration of the opening ceremonies, which were the best opening ceremonies I've ever been at," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "To the best of my knowledge this is a random action and not targeted at Americans. It's just that you don't expect something to happen in a country like this."
Penny added that he has spoken to team leaders and will talk to their families but felt no fear about being identified as an American, adding that he would continue to wear the red-white-and-blue "USA" hat he had on.
President Bush, in China for the Olympics, was fully briefed on the incident, said Susan Stevenson, information officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
Bush, speaking with reporters, said he and First Lady Laura Bush were saddened by the attack on the American family and their guide.
