A crazed Chinese man hacked an American Olympic visitor to death with a knife at a popular Beijing tourist site today, then jumped to his death, officials said.
The shocking murder of Todd Bachman – father of former Olympic volleyball player Elisabeth “Wiz” Bachman – marred the first full day of the Games. Wiz Bachman is married to the current American men’s head coach, Hugh McCutcheon.
Both Todd and his wife, Barbara, were stabbed as they toured the 13th-century Drum Tower, according to the US Olympic Committee.
After committing his bloody rampage, the killer, factory worker Tang Yongming, 47, leaped 130 feet from the tower’s second level to his death, state-run media said.
Bachman, 62, was a resident of Farmington, Minn., and the fourth-generation CEO of Bachman’s Inc., a Minneapolis-based chain of home and garden stores.
Barbara Bachman was fighting for her life at Peking Union Medical College Hospital with severe wounds.
The family’s Chinese tour guide was also injured, authorities said. The couple’s daughter Elisabeth, who played for the US team in Athens in 2004, was with her parents during the attack but wasn’t hurt, according to the USOC.
It’s not clear why Tang committed the rampage.
There was no immediate evidence that the Bachmans were singled out for attack because they’re Americans or obviously tied to an Olympic competitor, according to cops and the USOC.
The Bachmans “were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation,” said USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel.
American and Chinese authorities both said their initial theory is that Tang acted alone.
“We don’t believe this was targeted at American citizens,” said Susan Stevenson, a spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Beijing.
The attack cast a horrifying pall on the games, which had enjoyed glowing reviews from Friday’s opening ceremonies.
Team USA was set to open its men’s volleyball tournament against Venezuela in Beijing this afternoon, early this morning New York time.
The American women’s volleyball team opened play today with a heavy-hearted victory over Japan.
“God, we all love Wiz,” said weeping outside hitter Logan Tom. “It’s hard to put it in words. That’s not something that’s supposed to happen.”
The killer’s last known address was in Hangzhou, about 700 miles south of Beijing, where he was a factory worker, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Tang was divorced in 2006, had no criminal record and vacated his rented home on Aug. 1 with no forwarding address, Xinhua reported.
The ancient Drum Tower – where percussionists once banged on their drums all day, telling city residents the time – was closed to tourists today as cops pored over the crime scene.
The US Olympic delegation was left shaken from the tragedy.
“It’s just tragic,” said Team USA woman’s basketball coach Anne Donovan. “I don’t know if there’s another word for it. We said a prayer for them in the locker room.
“I get goose bumps talking about it. It’s something obviously that just changes the events right now for the Olympic Games.”
Additional reporting by Charles Wenzelberg in Beijingand Post Wire Services