Citizens mourn victims of Kunming terror attack

20 victims still in critical condition

In photos: Terror attack in Kunming

Kunming SWAT team officer Zhang Jun (not his real name) went on his first real crisis response mission on Saturday at Kunming Railway Station and came face to face with a gang of knife-wielding terrorists slashing and stabbing people at random.

He was the only member of the four-man team armed with an automatic rifle.

Zhang shot five attackers, after receiving permission from his superior.

"I didn't have time to think. I fired at them as fast as I could. It took me about 15 seconds," he said.

"The closest one to me was less than 2 meters away. If I had hesitated for a second, I would have been struck down," Zhang said.

According to China Central Television, the SWAT team arrived 10 minutes after the attack began.

"We parked our vehicle about 15 meters from the attackers. I jumped out of the car as I was loading the gun," he said.

Zhang fired two warning shots in the air and then shouted, "Put down your knives!"

On hearing the warning, the terrorists turned to attack him, and as they approached, Zhang shot one of them, a woman wearing a mask.

"I could see the five attackers clearly. The one leading the gang was very small, wearing a burka-like black mask. I shot her when she was only about 1 meter from the muzzle. But that didn't stop the other four assailants," he said.

When asked whether he was afraid during the attack, Zhang said, "I didn't have time to be scared. Every second counted. If I hadn't fired promptly, there would have been more innocent people hacked to death or injured.

"Being a policeman is a noble profession. We stay mostly in the background. But as soon as people need us to come to the rescue or take on terrorists, we are ready to rush to the front line."

Legal Daily and ChinaCentral Televisioncontributed to this story.