From NetEase:

2 Police Officers in Anhui Witness Girl Being Killed Without Stopping It, the Police: It Wasn’t Because They Were Afraid of Dying

People’s Daily Online Bengbu, August 22 news — On the afternoon of August 18, a murder happened in Anhui Province Bengbu City Yuhui District Macheng Town: A 17-year-old female supermarket cashier was murdered after being stabbed over 10 times by the killer.

Surveillance footage during the crime showed: While the girl was being choked by the killer and stabbed to death, two police officers stood right in front of them, yet dared not to go forward to stop it. Not until the perpetrator stabbed himself and fell to the ground did the two policemen go forward to subdue him. The two policemen’s behavior was strongly and angrily condemned by the family members of the deceased.

August 21, Director Bao of Bengbu City Public Security Bureau Yuhui District Subbureau responded that the two police officers’ reactions were somewhat slow in their handling of the incident, but there was no cowardice and fear of death.

Surveillance footage: As killer attacked, police officers stood to the side and watched

On the afternoon of August 18, 17-year-old Bengbu girl Xiao Hu left this world. According to the police bulletin after the incident, the man who killed Xiao Hu was her boyfriend Shen X whom she met through the internet. The place where Xiao Hu was killed is a supermarket in Bengbu Macheng Town. where she worked, just a little more than 200 meters away from her home.

August 20, reporters of People’s Daily Online Anhui Channel exclusively obtained the supermarket surveillance footage of Xiao Hu being murdered. This over one minute long video clearly recorded how Xiao Hu was killed.

[…]

Eyewitness: Pushed the policemen to go save her, but they didn’t

August 21, reporters of this article arrived at the scene of the murder–Macheng Town Weihai Shopping Plaza. The supermarket was already closed. Nearby residents say the supermarket closed down after the murder happened.

After going through a lot of trouble, reporters of this article found supermarket employee Ms. Hu. On the afternoon of August 18, Ms. Hu witnessed the whole incident resulting in the murder of Xiao Hu.

According to Ms. Hu’s recollection, on that afternoon, an employee reported to her that a suspicious man had been hanging about the supermarket for a long time, and had even purchased a kitchen knife and a fruit knife from the supermarket. “I thought at the time that this man was going to rob the store, so I asked cashier Xiao Hu to put away all the cash,” said Ms. Hu. She also called the Macheng Town Police Station, asking the police to come as soon as possible and investigate.

Very quickly, two policemen arrived at the supermarket, but the suspicious man had already left the supermarket. “So the policemen went out to look for him, but with no luck,” said Ms. Hu. Half an hour later, the man turned up again, and she again called the police. As soon as the two policemen walked into the supermarket, the perpetrator grabbed Xiao Hu by her neck, and began attacking her.

“Seeing him stab Xiao Hu with a knife, I was scared to death,” said Ms. Hu. Frightened, she grabbed the policeman next to her by his clothes, screaming repeatedly: ”Go save her! Go save her!” But the policemen didn’t, only shouting at the killer. Reporters of this article saw in the surveillance footage that Ms. Hu was indeed pushing one of the policemen forward to stop the killer, but neither of the police officers went forward.

Ms. Hu then wanted to grab the police officer’s baton, but she was so scared her limbs went numb and failed to grab it. “The police officers were holding their batons and were very close [to the killer]. If they had went forward to intervene, they might’ve been able to stop the killer from killing her.” Ms. Hu felt very sorry and sad for Xiao Hu’s death.

[…]

Comments from NetEase:

Z国真伟大 [网易广东省佛山市网友]:

If the killer pointed the knife at them, would they have tossed away their batons, fallen to their knees, raised their hands and surrendered???

网易北京市网友 ip：114.248.*.*:

Is this dereliction of duty?

网易浙江省杭州市手机网友 [网易浙江省杭州市手机网友]:

A failure to do their duty! They were afraid of losing their own lives, and yet they are paid by taxpayers’ salaries! What do we need this kind of policemen for! If they had put a stop to it, things might have turned out differently! Hate…

1336605151 [网易浙江省金华市义乌市手机网友]: (responding to above)

Speak with your conscience, would you have gone forward to stop him if you encountered someone holding a knife? Police officers are also human, and fearing death is also normal. Don’t make yourself out to be so noble and virtuous.

网易广东省茂名市手机网友 ip: 113.94.*.*: (responding to “网易浙江省杭州市手机网友”)

Those two policemen were indeed wrong, but policemen are also human, don’t ask for too much!

网易江苏省苏州市手机网友 ip: 112.81.*.*: (responding to above)

Sanitation workers are also human, put yourself in their shoes, why should they clean up the streets when the weather is so hot?

网易江西省南昌市手机网友 ip: 111.73.*.*: (responding to “1336605151” and “ip: 113.94.*.*”)

If so, then policemen should just do nothing and still get paid in the future. There are people who understand anyway. Fear of death? More like no one being able to continue supporting their 4th or 5th mistress, female leaders having needs, and the people counting nothing.

tianguozunzhe [网易江苏省南京市手机网友]: (responding to “1336605151” and “ip: 113.94.*.*”)

The 2nd and 3rd floor [the 2nd and the 3rd netizen who commented in a thread of comments], please explain, just what is the duty of a police officer? What more, I think corrupt officials are also human. All human beings have desires, so keeping mistresses and corruption are all understandable and forgivable because if it were you, you’d definitely be corrupt as well, so corruption is not a crime.

网易陕西省西安市手机网友 ip：123.138.*.*: (responding to above)

To prevent a crime from happening is police officer’s duty. Since this is the line of work they do, they shouldn’t be compared with ordinary people. It’s just like soldiers in war. When the war is upon them, soldiers must charge forward, even if they are afraid of death. This is what duty is, and there’s no reason at all to justify cowering.

Comments from QQ:

腾讯泉州市网友 素的古道:

Many policemen nowadays are like this. They know there are people fighting, and they let them fight, watching from a distance, then arresting them after both sides are injured. But those people fighting [likely] weren’t good people anyway, so the police handling it that way could be forgivable. But to not do anything in this kind of situation indeed shows a lack of sense of duty. I reckon this kind of policemen only rush forward to be the first when it comes to writing tickets and collecting fines. Failing in one’s duty allowing a living life to die, that’s indirect killing.

腾讯上海市网友 一个人发呆:

“During the two policemen’s handling of this incident, their reactions was a little slow, a little stupid.”

Haha… I’m about to laugh to death…

So this is the character of the people’s police???

Just how did these two people get into the public security system???

It can’t be temporary workers again, can it???

腾讯漳州市网友 №2:

Good thing there’s a surveillance camera, and good thing it wasn’t broken at the time. Even so, the police are still making excuses. Truly without integrity, without humanity.

腾讯厦门市网友 雨秋:

Trash! That police chief should be immediately fired!

腾讯网友 ☆肆哥☆:

This is nothing. Policemen in Foshan Xiqiao watched two brothers being stabbed to death. They only dared to fire 6 shots into the sky, the killer not hurt at all.

腾讯网友 □小徐哥:

With policemen like them, how can the people’s lives and property be protected? This kind of policemen should get lost.

腾讯梧州市网友 阿呆:

Clearly this Chief Bao is nothing good, and simply trash, only knowing how to quibble, so dismiss him first. When the leader is like this, could he still train good soldiers???

腾讯网友 无痕:

MD! I so want to curse someone. I’m so very angry. To be the chief and still quibble and make excuses saying some TMD bullshit like their reaction was slow, what a TMD shitty official. Saying such inhuman [irresponsible] things. If it were your daughter, would you still be talking like this???

腾讯温州市网友 晓风残月: