Police detain 24 after man beaten to death

POLICE have detained 24 people who allegedly beat a man to death after he filmed their clash with villagers in Tianmen City of Hubei Province on Monday, a Chinese newspaper reported today.

Wei Wenhua, the victim, was beaten to death within 10 minutes by dozens of people "wearing urban management officers' uniforms, hamlets and protective jackets" as he used his cell phone to videotape a fight between these officers and villagers, farmers and Wei's colleagues told the newspaper.

An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death, according to the Yangtze Evening Newspaper.

The Tianmen government set up two teams to investigate the case and handle the aftermath, the report said.

Wang Faliang, Deputy Mayor of Tianmen City, went to Wei's home and offered condolences to Wei's family. Wang promised Zeng Jinggang, Wei's wife, that the criminals would be caught and brought to justice after Wei's relatives set up a mourning hall in front of the government building in an effort to arouse government attention, according to the report.

Wei was the general manager of Water Resources Construction Co and had a good reputation among his colleagues. He had been honored as a "Model Official" and an outstanding Party member by the local government before his death.

Wei worked hard and was always happy to help others, said Wang Shutang, one of Wei's colleagues, according to the report.

Wei was survived by his wife and a 14-year-old daughter. The girl has not been told about her father's death yet, the report added.

Wei was driving by a yard when he saw a clash between the villagers and more than 20 security officers from the city administration. He stopped and took out his mobile phone to record the clash, which infuriated the officers. They assaulted him when he refused to delete the images, according to a witness.

The beating continued even after Wei surrendered his phone. A farmer who witnessed the assault told the newspaper that some of the officials shouted "beat him to death."

After five minutes, Wei was lying on the ground unconscious and the officers panicked and sent him to a hospital, the report added.

Wei stopped breathing when he arrived at the hospital, an unnamed doctor at Tianshan's No.1 People's Hospital told the Yangtze newspaper.

The clash broke out when uniformed officers arrived at a landfill after receiving reports that some villagers tried to stop garbage trucks from dumping trash at the yard. The villagers were upset because they said the waste was polluting the air and drinking water, according to previous reports.