BEIJING – The father-in-law of U.S. men’s indoor volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon was killed Saturday by a Chinese man in a brutal attack at a popular Beijing tourist site, souring the first official day of Olympic competition.

Tang Yongming, 47, mobbed Todd Bachman at the Drum Tower, using a knife to kill him and injure his wife, Barbara, before he committed suicide by jumping from a 130-foot balcony, according to Chinese authorities.

The stabbings, about 5 miles from the Olympic Green, near the Forbidden City, happened at 12:20 p.m. as the Beijing Games featured action in 17 sports a day after an eye-popping Opening Ceremony marked China’s first Olympic appearance.

Former Olympic volleyball player Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon was with her parents during the attack but was not injured. Barbara Bachman remains at a Beijing hospital with what the U.S. Olympic Committee called “serious and life-threatening” injuries. A female Chinese tour guide also is hospitalized.

“It is impossible to describe the depth of our sadness and shock in this tragic hour,” USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth said in a statement. “Our delegation comes to the Games as a family, and when one member of our family suffers a loss, we all grieve with them. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with the Bachman and McCutcheon families.”

The Colorado Springs-based USOC said the Bachmans – of Minneapolis, where Todd served as chief executive officer of a home-and-garden center – weren’t wearing anything identifying them as part of the American delegation.

“For all intents, it appears to be a random attack by a deranged man,” USOC board member and International Olympic Committee member Jim Easton told The Associated Press. “The only thing we’ve heard is they were not identifiable except for a small volleyball pin, which would probably be invisible to a guy.

“It’s certainly a down day, certainly for the U.S. people. Here it is supposed to be a great time of happiness and peace and all that. That’s what we work hard for. Then for one person to be able to put a dark cloud on that.”

President Bush offered his condolences during a busy day in which he watched a U.S. women’s basketball game, rode a mountain bike and played beach volleyball with reigning Olympic champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

The U.S. Embassy in China issued a statement deeming the attack “a senseless act of violence.” The USOC said it’s working with the embassy as well as Chinese and U.S. authorities on the case.

IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said in a statement that the organization “will provide whatever assistance is required and is in close contact with the U.S. Olympic Committee. The IOC is also working closely with the Chinese authorities to obtain information on this incident as soon as possible.”

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In a undated family photo, Todd Bachman is shown with his wife Barbara and daughter, former Oympian Elisabeth. Todd Bachman was killed Saturday and his wife is in serious condition after being stabbed by a Chinese man in Beijing. Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP