The accounts of what drove Tian Mingjian to violence vary, and the truth may lie in some combination of them. One widely reported version holds that Tian's superiors had forced his wife to undergo an abortion at seven months of pregnancy, in compliance with China's one-child policy. Tian, who came from a rural area of Henan province where traditional values placed enormous importance on having a male heir, had already fathered a daughter and secretly hoped for a son. When the army discovered his plan and the forced procedure was carried out, his wife died along with the unborn child, who was later found to have been a boy. An official party account offered a different narrative, describing Tian as a man who "pursued fame and profit" and abused subordinates, who had been demoted for accepting bribes and was facing dismissal when he snapped.

Armed with a Type 81 assault rifle, Tian killed at least four military officials at his base before fleeing. His fellow soldiers were ordered to change into civilian clothes before pursuing him, so as not to alarm the public. By the time Tian reached the Jianguomen intersection, he was already beyond containment. He killed the driver of the vehicle, leapt into the street, and opened fire on pedestrians as he moved toward the embassy district. Among the dead were Iranian diplomat Yousef Mohammadi Pishknari and his nine-year-old son; another of Pishknari's sons and his daughter were wounded. Thousands of police converged on the area, but Tian proved to be an expert marksman. A gun battle erupted on Yabao Road, and a city bus was caught in the crossfire when its driver froze in panic.

The exact casualty count was never established. Initial reports cited 14 dead and 72 wounded, with doctors predicting the death toll would rise to 40 or 50. A later report from the Lien Ho Pao newspaper put the number at 15 killed, including six servicemen, and 60 wounded. Tian himself was killed by a sniper after being cornered in a dead end near Yabao Road. When Canadian television began broadcasting from the scene, Chinese authorities cut the satellite feed and prohibited further on-site reporting. The incident was effectively erased from public discussion within China.

The Central Military Commission ordered a sweeping investigation. The consequences reached far up the chain of command. The commander and political commissar of the Beijing Military Region received formal disciplinary sanctions. The commander and political commissar of the Beijing Garrison Command were dismissed outright. The entire Third Guards Division was transferred from Beijing to a remote border post. In total, roughly 60 military officials were punished, demoted, or dismissed. A general order went out to the entire army to tighten weapons management and strengthen ideological work among the ranks. The sharpshooter who killed Tian and the official who coordinated his interception received commendations. The incident prompted real institutional change, but the price of that change -- paid by seventeen civilians who were simply going about their morning -- was one the government preferred not to discuss.