BEIJING  A Chinese man wielding a knife attacked an American couple related to a United States Olympic volleyball coach on Saturday, killing the man and wounding his wife and their Chinese guide atop an ancient tower in central Beijing.
The attacker then killed himself by leaping from the tower, American and Chinese officials said.
The attack on the tourists occurred on the first day of competition at the Olympic Games in Beijing, after a dazzling opening ceremony the previous night in which China sought to project an image of power and strength while welcoming hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors. As news of the killing spread, it darkened the mood somewhat in the city, from the warrens of old alleyways where Chinese are eager to open their homes to foreigners, to the stadiums where visitors waited in line for events like swimming and gymnastics.
The dead American was Todd Bachman of Farmington, Minn., the 62-year-old father-in-law of Hugh McCutcheon, the head indoor men’s volleyball coach, American Olympic officials said. Bachman’s wife, Barbara, 62, was in critical but stable condition after eight hours of surgery.
The Chinese guide is a woman, according to Xinhua, the state news agency. She was not identified.
McCutcheon’s wife, Elisabeth, a member of the 2004 United States women’s Olympics volleyball team, was with her parents when they were attacked.
Two relatives of a coach for the American Volleyball team, and their tour-guide, were attacked by a knife-wielding Chinese man Saturday.
Beijing's Drum Tower 
Todd and Barbara Bachman of Farmington, Minnesota USA, in-laws of Hugh McCutcheon- head U.S. indoor men’s volleyball coach, were touring the Drum Tower in central Beijing when the attack occurred. Mr. Bachman was killed, his wife and their tour-guide were injured and are undergoing treatment at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon, wife of Hugh McCutcheon and a member of the 2004 United States women’s Olympics volleyball team, was also present for the attack on her parents, but was herself uninjured.

The attacker, identified by Chinese state sources as Tang Yongming, a 47 year old from  Hangzhou, Zhejiang leapt to his death from the tower's second story in what was labeled a suicide.

A United States Olympic Committee spokesman stated that the victims weren't wearing anything that might have marked them as Americans or as associated with a US team. He further stated that it wasn't known whether the U.S. men's volleyball team would compete in a match scheduled for Sunday and that no extra security was planned for U.S. athletes.

U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife Laura were in the city for the Olympic games. Mr. Bush stated, “Laura and I were also saddened by the attack on an American family and their Chinese tour guide today in Beijing. The United States government has offered to provide any assistance the family needs.”

Todd Bachman was the CEO of Bachman's, Inc; a regional chain of garden centers based in Minneapolis. He was sixty-two years old.