China police detain suspected nursing home killer

Police Saturday caught a man accused of killing three people at a nursing home in central China, two days after a fight with his boss over unpaid wages which led to the slaughter.

The suspect, whose name was given as Luo Renchu, 64, was captured at 5 p.m. on a mountain in Xiangxiang, Hunan province, Xinhua news agency reported.

The killings happened around 2 a.m. Thursday, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, at Aixin Nursing Home in Shuangfeng county when Luo attacked elderly residents and staff with a brick, killing three and injuring 15 others. Luo fled the scene after the attack.

A preliminary police investigation found that the attack took place shortly after a quarrel between Luo and Fang Hongchun, owner of the nursing home.

Both Luo and his wife work at the home and were owed a total of 40,000 yuan ($6,500) in unpaid wages. They had been promised 10,000 yuan before the Lunar New Year. Fang only paid them 6,000 yuan, which led to a dispute on New Year's Eve.

Privately owned Aixin Nursing Home normally has more than 90 elderly residents, about 70 of whom were spending the holiday with their families.

Residents are mostly in their 70s and 80s and were easy prey for their attacker.

County official Liu Pin said, the three died in hospital and, of the 15 injured, all were residents of the home except for Fang's mother and younger brother.

The injured mostly suffered from head injuries. Six are said to be in a life-threatening condition.