Hong Kong protests: boy shot by police officer during Yuen Long demonstration charged with rioting
- Teen accused of committing offences at an anti-government protest, during which he suffered gunshot wound from live round
- Charges relate to breakout of violence in Yuen Long on October 4 last year
The teen also faces a count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and is due to appear at Fanling Court on Tuesday.
He was arrested after violence broke out during social unrest in Yuen Long on the evening of October 4, when a group of protesters were said to have targeted a plain-clothes officer on Castle Peak Road.
Police said previously that the officer had fallen to the ground and fired a live round in self-defence when he was set upon by a group of radical protesters.
The force added that a petrol bomb was thrown at the officer, setting him on fire. While trying to evade the flames, the officer dropped his pistol and its magazine on the ground.
Meanwhile, a Japanese national with a Hong Kong identity card was arrested on Monday night when protesters gathered to mark the first anniversary of a controversial police clearance operation on August 31 last year at Prince Edward railway station.
Nozomi Fukuda, 36, was arrested on suspicion of carrying an airgun near the MTR station on Monday. He was among 15 people arrested that night.
While Japan’s Sankei newspaper reported he was a freelance journalist, a police spokesman said the suspect had not told officers that he worked in the media, and no documents or equipment indicating as such were found on him.
The media outlet reported on Thursday that the man, who also has a Hong Kong passport, would take photographs and videos of anti-government demonstrations while carrying a press card.
A Hong Kong police source told the Post the man of Japanese ethnicity worked as a security guard and was born in the city.
He moved to Japan when he was four years old and stayed there until he was 25 before returning to Hong Kong.
He was released on bail and must report back to police next month. The case was handled by a Mong Kok district investigation team.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also confirmed the arrest in a response to press inquiries on Thursday and said he was confirming the reasons for detention.
Protests erupted in Hong Kong last June, initially over the now-withdrawn extradition bill, before morphing into a broader anti-government movement, fuelled by demands for police accountability and political reform.
