Lin Jianxin, a 37-year-old man who police said intentionally drove a car into pedestrians on Monday in Minhou county, Fujian province, killing 7 and injuring 12, is being labeled "the black sheep" of his hometown.

Lin is a resident of Dongyu village, located about 30 km from downtown Fuzhou.

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When asked about the incident, Lin Shouye, a village resident, said the man's name has generated a negative buzz throughout the village.

"When you mention that name, eyebrows will be raised and complaints will pour out," he said.

Lin Shouye described the suspect as a hooligan and said that in the past Lin Jianxin broke nearly every street light and light bulb in the village's public toilets. He said Lin Jianxin has smashed products in stores in fits of rage.

Lin Shouye said Lin Jianxin once bought a duck in the village and asked the vendor to pluck out the feathers. After the plucking was completed, he refused to pay the vendor because he insisted that it was not done perfectly.

"He just wanted to bully the seller," Lin Shouye said.

Village police did not corroborate Lin Shouye's accounts.

Village head Chen Jiangqiu said Lin Jianxin's father died five years ago and that last year his mother went to the United States to live with his two sisters, who run a restaurant in the states.

"Lin had an issue with his wife and was involved in a divorce case. He used to scold his wife and they have lived separately for a long time," Chen said.

The village head said Lin is unemployed and often receives money from his sisters.

Village resident Lin Hongxi called Lin Jianxin "a hopeless guy without discipline".

"Lin is not rich and the car he used to run over pedestrians was rented," he added.

Lin Hongxi accused the driver, who is currently in police custody, of not wanting to work.

"He once went to a nearby temple to ask the monks for the money that people spent on incenses," Lin Hongxi said.

"He also called his mother names when she didn't give him money," Lin Hongxi said.

A China Youth Daily report on Tuesday quoted Lin's mother-in-law as saying that Lin is a cantankerous person and once cut off his own pinkie finger during a quarrel with his wife.

Lin Jianxin's mother-in-law and wife could not be reached by China Daily as of press time.

The fatal incident happened in Minhou county of Fuzhou on Monday after Lin Jianxin attended a divorce hearing in the morning.

A court worker who declined to be named said Lin's behavior was normal in court on Monday and that he left the court peacefully. A verdict into his divorce case has not been decided.

The injured victims are currently receiving treatments in two local hospitals in Fuzhou.

Contact the writer at sunli@chinadaily.com.cn