Man in Ningbo kills three neighbors over barking dog

A man in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, is facing murder charges after police say he stabbed three neighbors to death and injured one over a dispute about their dog.

According to (in Chinese) police, on the evening of October 10, Mr. Wang 王 wáng, 46, got into a confrontation with his neighbors, the Chen 陈 chén family, over their barking dog. Wang went outside to get the dog and took it up to the neighbor’s apartment to ask them to keep it quiet. But the negotiation failed, and Wang returned to his apartment and grabbed a knife, with which he killed Ms. Chen, her husband, and her daughter. Chen’s mother suffered minor injuries during the argument.

Reports say Wang has a clean criminal record and no history of drug use. He passed a blood alcohol test after the incident.

Police said Wang and the family has a long history of disputes. Prior to the incident, Wang had talked to the neighbor multiple times because the dog’s incessant yapping disrupted his sleep. But Wang never filed any complaints with relevant departments or contacted police.

Perhaps predictably, the news has divided Weibo (in Chinese), spurring a debate between the dog-loving faction and anti-dog clan about what could have been prevented if there had been laws in place to enforce pet etiquette for dog owners.