The local police department surveyed the scene, the dead body, the gun and bullet, the video recording of the scene and nearly 100 travelers, among whom more than 60 witnesses, during the investigation.

The shooting incident put the anonymous county under nationwide media scrutiny and local whistleblowers have grasped the opportunity to successfully blow open more than 10 corruption cases.

Dong Guosheng, the deputy magistrate of Qing'an county, who praised the policeman's behavior the next day after shooting, was caught faking his age and educational background. His wife was also exposed to be a phantom government employee, who does not work but receives wages. Dong was suspended and put under investigation on May 12.

Wei Pengfei, the chief procurator of Qing'an procuratorate, was also put under investigation after tipoffs from a policeman at his procuratorate over misconducts concerning public vehicle use.

Dong Guosheng's support of the policeman when the case was still under investigation triggered the public dissatisfaction and led to the successive whistle-blowers, said Yu Guoming, professor at School of Journalism and Communication of the prestigious Renmin University.

"When the deputy county magistrate was entangled in scandals, other officials were also put under the spotlight and scrutinized. This is called implication effects," said Yu.

Other relevant hotly discussed issues will be easily generated among Internet users if an incident has triggered widespread public interest but failed to be tackled effectively and properly in an immediate way, said Shen Yang, professor at School of Journalism and Communication of the prestigious Tsinghua University.