"At around 17:00 (09:00 GMT) on Jan 22, a hostage-taking case occurred at Dongfengxi Road in Wuhua District, Kunming. Now, the suspect has been shot and killed by the police. The hostage was rescued," the local police said in a statement.
The case remains under investigation, the statement added.
The assailant was identified as a 56-year-old male, who killed one person and injured seven others outside the high school, according to local authorities in Kunming.
Videos circulated on Chinese social media showed the moment when the shot fired by the police snipers hit the assailant, who took a person hostage outside a high school, in the head. The video showed a group of police officers surrounded the assailant after he was shot.