Man held after kebab vendor shot by mistake

Police in central Henan Province have detained a man alleged to have mistakenly shot dead a vendor at a streetside snack stall during a dispute with another man.

Police in Dancheng County did not reveal the suspect's identity, but he is believed to be son of a top-ranking official with the county government, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday, citing an employee from the county's publicity department.

According to the report, the suspect is the son of Zhao Aimei, deputy director of Dancheng County in charge of education.

According to Dancheng police, the suspect attempted to shoot a man after he had a dispute with him during dinner, however, the shot hit a nearby vendor selling lamb kebabs at around 1am on Thursday.

The suspect is under criminal detention and the investigation ongoing, police told the newspaper.

The intended target of the shooting hid behind the vendor when the suspect produced a gun, and the vendor's brother and wife witnessed the incident, according to the report, which cited other vendors at the scene.

The victim of the shooting had been running the kebab stall for nearly 20 years, a relative told the newspaper.