BEIJING - An employee of China's central bank shot and killed two colleagues on Wednesday at a branch in the northeastern province of Liaoning, the Xinhua state news agency reported.

Incidents of gun violence are rare in China as firearms are tightly controlled and private gun ownership is restricted.

Xinhua said the gunman also wounded two people. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon at a branch of the People's Bank of China in Dashiqiao city "because of a money dispute", the news agency said.

The gunman fired four shots at four colleagues, Xinhua said, adding that the case was under investigation.