Subconsciously shoot

下意识开枪 (xiàyìshi kāiqiāng): subconsciously shoot

Officer Zhang Yan explaining how he “subconsciously shot” his weapon six times.

On September 21, 2012, Zhang Yan, a police officer in Panjin, Liaoning province fired six shots at Wang Shujie, an unarmed villager during a conflict over the forced demolition of his home. The death of the villager became the latest in series of fatalities surrounding forced demolitions.

In interviews granted to the media on September 25 [zh], 2012, the police officer said that he had “subconsciously shot” his weapon. Netizens ridiculed and parodied this explanation [zh]:

漆洪波：纳税人养着警察让他保护人救人，可警察只会下意识杀人。

漆洪波: Taxpayers fund the police to protect and save people, but the police only subconsciously kill people.

春花烂漫de围脖：不要脸，开了六枪，还说下意识！

春花烂漫de围脖: Have you no sense of shame! You shoot six times, and still say it was subconscious!

This incident in Liaoning province led netizens to draw a parallel to China's recently commissioned aircraft carrier, “The Liaoning.” If the ship were to be renamed “The Panjin,” it would “strike greater fear into the hearts of our enemies,” (如果“辽宁号”改名“盘锦号”，更能让敌人闻风丧胆) commented one.