Zhou Kehua was born on February 6, 1970, in Jingkou Town, Shapingba, Chongqing, China. He had a troubled early life marked by legal issues. At the age of 15, in 1985, Zhou faced his first legal trouble and was jailed for 14 days due to molestation charges.

In September 1991, Zhou committed theft. He stole 120 yuan in cash, some food stamps, and a shotgun. This act led to his arrest two years later. He was sentenced to two years of "Re-education through labor" for theft and illegal possession of firearms. In 1997, he was arrested again for buying an illegal Type 54 pistol close to the border with Burma in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan. He was released after paying a fine.

Zhou Kehua is believed to have killed ten people and stole millions of yuan from 2004 to 2012. His crimes took place in Jiangsu, Hunan, and Chongqing. Police reports show that he was involved in multiple bank robberies and shootings.

On April 22, 2004, Zhou shot two women in Jiangbei, Chongqing, after they took money out of a bank. One woman died, and he stole ¥70,000 from them. A year later, on May 16, 2005, he shot and killed a couple in Shapingba who had just withdrawn cash from a bank. He also shot a witness during this attack.

In March 2009, he killed an 18-year-old soldier in Jiulongpo and took the soldier's rifle. In October of the same year, Zhou shot 56-year-old Li Chengshou in Tianxin. He followed this with the shooting of Guo Chaoyun in December 2009 after the man left a bank. Zhou took ¥45,000 from him.

In October 2010, he killed a manager at a trade company in Yuhua and robbed him of his laptop. The following year, in June 2011, he shot a man as he was getting out of his car in Tianxin. Although this victim was injured, he survived.

On January 6, 2012, Zhou shot two men who had just withdrawn money from a bank in Xiaguan. One was killed, and the other was injured. His final known crime was on August 10, 2012, when he shot three people outside a Bank of China in Shapingba. One of the victims was killed, and Zhou took away ¥70,000 in cash. Later that day, he shot and killed a police officer.

After a four-day manhunt, Zhou Kehua was killed by police on August 14, 2012.