Bio

Tian Mingjian was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army officer who served as a first lieutenant in the Beijing Garrison. He was stationed at a military base in Tongxian County, a suburb of Beijing.He is a trained marksman who had been in the military for more than ten years before the shooting.

Some sources state that he came from Henan Province and had a rural background. Reports also state that he already had a daughter and wanted a son, a detail linked in later accounts to the reported conflict over China’s family-planning rules.

The motive remains partly disputed. One widely repeated account says Tian became angry after his wife was forced to undergo an abortion while pregnant with their second child, and that she died during the procedure. Other official-style reports emphasized disciplinary problems, including allegations that Tian had beaten another soldier and had been reprimanded before the attack.

Before the shooting, Tian had reportedly quarreled with superiors and faced military discipline. According to later summaries, he had been suspended or reprimanded after internal conflicts. On September 20, 1994, that dispute escalated into a deadly shooting that began at his military base and continued into central Beijing.

Murder Story

On September 20, 1994, Tian Mingjian opened fire at his military base in Tongxian County, near Beijing. He was armed with a Type 81 assault rifle. Several soldiers and officers were killed or wounded before he fled the base.

After leaving the base, Tian took a vehicle and drove toward central Beijing. He reached the Jianguomen area, a busy part of the city near diplomatic housing and major roads. There, Tian began shooting at people in the streets. He fired at pedestrians, vehicles, and a passing bus. Among the civilians killed were Iranian diplomat Yousef Mohammadi Pishknari and his young son. Many other people were wounded, including civilians and police officers.

Police and security forces responded quickly. A gunfight followed near Jianguomen and Yabao Road. Tian was eventually cornered and shot dead by a police or military sniper. The exact number of victims is reported differently by sources because Chinese officials released limited information. Early reports listed a lower death toll, while later accounts commonly report at least 23 people killed and many others injured.

Tian Mingjian died on September 20, 1994, the same day as the attack. He was never arrested or tried because he was killed during the police response.