Around 12 people, in an apparent protest, "gathered at a construction site in the city yesterday and blocked construction vehicles amid disputes", Luoyang city's public security bureau said in a statement.
When police officers tried to make reconciliation, several people assaulted the police, the statement said.
At this, the officers fired two warning shots, and the mob tried to take their guns by force, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
In the police firing, a man surnamed Zhou was killed while another sustained injuries, and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was being treated, it said.
The cause behind the dispute was not given.
