Deng, 56, was selling watermelons with his wife in Linwu, Hunan Province, when several officials (known as "chengguan") reportedly confiscated some of their fruits and asked them to relocate to an area approved for street vending.
[2] According to witnesses on the scene, the officers continue to kick Deng after he fell, and refused to call emergency services.
Photos of bloodied protesters were widely shared on Chinese microblogs and social media platforms, where news of Deng's death was met with outrage.
One netizen cited by the South China Morning Post compared Deng's death to the case of Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian vegetable vendor whose cart was seized by police in 2010.
[4] The death drew considerable attention in the domestic media, and prompted heightened criticism against chengguan urban management officials.