A policeman shot a driver to death Friday night after a dispute over a scratch on a vehicle in southwest China's Yunnan Province, police said.

Ji Zhongchun, 42, a policeman with the Public Security Bureau of Mengzi County, was backing his car up at 9:30 p.m. Friday. Pan Jun, a 40-year-old employee of a local electric power company, said Ji's car scratched his vehicle, according to the spokesman of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

Pan beat Ji during the quarrel, then Ji shot Pan to death, he said.

Ji has been detained while an investigation into the case is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2009)