Bai Baoshan was born on November 6, 1958, in China. Not much is known about his early life or family background, but by 1983, he had already run afoul of the law. That year, he was convicted of robbery and assault, crimes that led to a 15-year prison sentence, of which he served 13 years. During his incarceration, Bai developed deep resentment and hostility toward law enforcement and the state.

Upon his release from prison on March 7, 1996, Bai did not attempt to reintegrate into society. Instead, he began plotting revenge against those he viewed as symbols of the system that had confined him.

Just three weeks after his release from prison, on March 31, 1996, Bai attacked a power station in Beijing. Armed with a semi-automatic firearm, which he had stolen from a police officer, he injured two civilians and four others severely, including the station’s guard. This attack marked the beginning of his second criminal life.

In July 1996, Bai escalated to military targets, raiding a base in Xushui and killing a soldier. He left the scene with the soldier’s automatic rifle, further arming himself for what would become a series of well-planned attacks.

In December 1996, he murdered a cigarette dealer and injured three others in Deshengmen, Beijing. This murder appeared to be financially motivated, but still carried the marks of execution-style violence. By this time, Bai was no longer acting as a lone wolf. He recruited an accomplice named Wu Ziming, who would accompany him during the final and deadliest phase of the killing spree.

On August 7, 1997, Bai and Wu killed two police officers in Shihezi, a city in the Xinjiang region. Just eleven days later, in Ürümqi, they carried out one of the deadliest attacks in modern Chinese criminal history, killing 10 more people, including two more police officers, and stealing over 1.4 million RMB.

Their partnership was short-lived. On August 26, 1997, after a dispute over the stolen money, Bai shot and killed Wu Ziming near Tianchi, a scenic area in Xinjiang. Bai’s paranoia and lust for control had now overtaken any sense of alliance.

He returned to Beijing, where on September 5, 1997, he was arrested at his home. Authorities quickly discovered the scope of his crimes, and given that most of the killings had occurred in Xinjiang, he was transferred there on December 3, 1997 for trial.

Bai faced 14 charges of murder, along with charges for armed robbery, firearm theft, and attempted murder. His trial ended with a conviction on all counts, and he was executed by shooting in April 1998 in Xinjiang.