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Eight people were killed and another one injured in a knife attack by a mentally ill man on Thursday in Xiaochang county, Central China's Hubei Province. The suspect has been detained by the police, and an investigation is underway, according to media reports on Friday.

The attacker is a 53-year-old man surnamed Lu. The injured person did not sustain life-threatening wounds. Among the deceased were Lu's mother and a 2-year-old child, according to a report by The Beijing News.

About a decade ago, Liu Yuan (pseudonym), who was a village official at the time, tried to persuade the suspect Lu to seek treatment at a mental health hospital. But Lu's father refused, saying he would take responsibility if anything happened. Lu continued to live with his parents, said the report.

Lu's father was away for work when the accident occurred. Lu killed his elderly mother and then went on to kill seven more people in the neighborhood. There were several elderly people among the deceased. Liu recalled that Lu had a history of being aggressive and confrontational, but had not shown any violent behavior in recent years. Despite his mental illness, Lu had never harmed anyone before this tragic incident, the report said, citing a local villager.

The tragedy gained a lot of attention among Chinese netizens, triggering discussions about whether mentally ill people should be held criminally responsible for murder. The topic had got more than 110 million views on Friday on Sina Weibo, with many expressing their sympathy and calling for more effective measures for dealing with mentally ill individuals, especially in rural areas, where management is more loose.

Some netizens viewed Lu's father as a symbol of many people, who lack scientific and rational understanding of mental illness, believing it is not a big deal and hoping for the best. "It is important to pay attention to this issue, otherwise there will be consequences," one netizen wrote.

"Mentally ill patients need to be closely monitored," especially in rural areas, where there is a lack of effective management, another one wrote.

Lu was initially diagnosed with a level-three mental illness. Mental illnesses are classified into six levels, with level three indicating that the patient often engages in destructive behavior such as breaking objects at home or in public places, and can't be persuaded to stop despite others' efforts, according to media reports.

According to Article 18 of China's Criminal Law, a mentally ill person who commits a crime while unable to understand the wrongfulness of their actions or unable to control their behavior will not be held criminally liable. Instead, their family members or guardians will be responsible for monitoring them and providing medical treatment. In some cases, the government may require the individual to undergo compulsory medical treatment.

A person with intermittent mental illness who commits a crime in a normal mental state shall bear criminal liability, according to the law.

Global Times