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What started as an open-and-shut case of police brutality has morphed into a Rashomon where truth is elusive. The fatal incident took place around 10 pm on October 11 in the northeastern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province. Two groups of young men got into a ruckus at a local watering hole. One of them was killed. Tragedies of such random violence occur everyday all around the world and usually do not draw public attention. Add one dramatic element, and things take a dramatic turn. It was revealed the day after that one group - of six young men - was made up of policemen and the other college students. Online reaction was swift and unanimous: It was a demonstration of police brutality and must be condemned. A day later, a local television station aired a clip of the melee recorded by a closed circuit security camera. The group of students was exposed as being quite aggressive, especially the victim, who clearly initiated many of the attacks, while the policeman, in plainclothes (possibly off duty), were initially restrained. The pendulum of public opinion quickly swung. Many saw the policemen's acts as self-defense and argued that 22-year-old victim Lin Songling should bear some of the responsibility for his own death. Then an unverified report emerged that Lin was the son of a rich businessman. He drove a Mercedes and would soon report for a cushy government job. | 
