American tourist killed at Beijing site

BEIJING - The death of an American tourist took the focus off the field of competition at the Beijing Summer Olympics on Saturday.
A man pulled out a knife Saturday at a landmark tourist site and killed Todd Bachman, father-in-law of U.S. Olympic men's indoor volleyball head coach Hugh McCutcheon and father of McCutcheon's wife, 2004 U.S. Olympic women's indoor volleyball player Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon.
The assailant wounded Bachman's wife, Barbara, and their tour guide before jumping to his own death, U.S. and Chinese officials said.
The brutal attack occurred shortly after noon at the Drum Tower, an ancient structure in Beijing where drummers pounded out the hour of the day in dynastic times.
"While at the Drum Tower in central Beijing, the two family members were stabbed during an attack by what local law enforcement authorities have indicated was a lone assailant," a statement by the U.S. Olympic Committee said.
It said Barbara Bachman was "seriously injured" in the attack. She and the female tour guide were taken to Beijing's central Harmony Hospital.
The identity of the two Americans was not immediately released, and the reason for the attack remained a mystery.
"It would be premature of me to say any motive," said Richard Buangan, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy. He added that President George Bush, who is in Beijing to watch some Olympics events, was notified of the attack.
The state news agency, Xinhua, identified the attacker by an identity card on his body, saying he was Tang Yongming, 47, from Hangzhou city in eastern China.
No sports were canceled or delayed Saturday because of the event.