In a first-instance ruling, the Qindu District Court found that Zhang Heng's act of resisting a forced demolition that resulted in a death constituted self-defense, acquitted him, and rejected the civil compensation claims filed by the deceased's family.
On August 7, 2026, a lawyer disclosed that the Qindu District Court in Xianyang, Shaanxi, had issued a first-instance judgment in the case of Zhang Heng, finding that when his residence was illegally and forcibly demolished by a group of armed people in April 2023, his counterattack that resulted in one death constituted legitimate self-defense, and declaring him not guilty.
On April 1, 2023, the home of Zhang Heng, a villager from Zicun Village in Xixian New Area, Shaanxi, was forcibly demolished by more than ten armed people; Zhang Heng and his son fought back, killing one demolition worker. The court later found that Zhang Heng had acted in legitimate self-defense and acquitted him.