China executes man just months after rampage killed 15 people

A man who killed 15 people and injured 43 others when he drove his SUV into a large crowd in China has been executed just months after the attack.

On September 12, Yang Zanyun drove his Land Rover into pedestrians at Binjiang Square in the Hunan province of Hengyang, before he left his vehicle and went on a rampage with a shovel and a knife to attack more victims.

The area was packed with people who were attending a nearby dance festival.

In December, the 54-year-old was found guilty of endangering public safety and was sentenced to death for the crime.

“Yang’s behaviour was extremely cruel and it seriously harmed the public,” the court said in a statement at the time.

At the time of his arrest, local police said Zanyun’s desire for revenge on society is what motivated the attack, according to China Daily.

According to police reports, Zanyun was unemployed and was suffering from gastric cancer. He had been married three times and did not have any children.

Days before the attack, he had learned his health had worsened and had just taken his girlfriend home before driving to the square, according to local news agency Xinhua.

They said he had a lengthy criminal record and had been jailed several times before the violent incident.

His previous crimes included assault, brawling, drug dealing and arson.

China is known for carrying out executions with a firing squad, however they have recently increased using lethal injection.

The method used to execute Zanyun has not yet been released by officials.