8-year-old girl in Taipei school attack dies of wounds
CNA
2015-05-30
A doctor informs the press of the death of the girl, May 30. (Photo/CNA)
A second-grader who was knifed at an elementary school in Taipei City died of her wounds Saturday, less than a day after she was randomly attacked by an intruder.
The 8-year-old girl, who was identified only by her surname Liu, had been in critical condition since she was rushed to Taipei Veterans General Hospital early Friday evening.
On Saturday morning, the hospital notified the Liu family that doctors were ceasing their attempts to revive the girl. She was expected to be officially pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Liu was found bleeding from her neck and unconscious on the floor of a toilet. She was without a heartbeat on arrival at the hospital but doctors managed to restore some vital signs with surgery although she was never out of the woods.
The suspect, a 29-year-old man, alerted the police shortly after the attack and was apprehended near the crime scene at Wenhua Elementary School.
In the attack that sent shockwaves across society, the girl was slashed twice in the throat with a knife, which severed or damaged her trachea and carotid arteries, according to the police.
Preliminary questioning by the police indicate that the suspect picked his victim simply because she was alone and out of her classroom.
He allegedly followed her into the toilet, where he grabbed her from behind and cut her throat.
The man, who took time off his work as a courier, told the police that he was driven to perpetrate the act by the voices inside his head. The man is an alumnus of the school in Beitou District, northern Taipei.
On Saturday morning, prosecutors requested a court judge to detain the suspect to prevent him from fleeing.
