Police offer HK$250,000 reward for information over shootout in busy nightlife district in Hong Kong
- Company director, two jobless men and another suspect have been charged with attempted wounding and weapons possession
- Police escort Shahid Javed, 42, Suman Gurung, 23, and Kwok Tin-wik, 24, to Eastern Court, while fourth suspect remains in hospital
Hong Kong police are offering a HK$250,000 (US$31,850) reward for information over a shootout in an entertainment district that left three people injured early Friday.
The force appealed to residents on Monday to contact the organised crime and triad bureau as soon as possible if they had any information relating to the incident in Central.
Deputy Commissioner for Operations Albert Yuen Yuk-kin held a special meeting with senior officers from the Immigration Department and customs to discuss further strengthening cooperation in handling serious crime.
A court remanded a company director and two jobless men in custody after prosecutors charged them and another suspect with attempted wounding and weapons possession over the shootout.
Police escorted three of the four men to Eastern Court on Monday after detaining them for questioning over the weekend.
Shahid Javed, 42, Suman Gurung, 23, and Kwok Tin-wik, 24, were not required to answer prosecutors’ allegations on their first appearance in the dock, as police needed time to make inquiries.
Recognisance-form holder Muhammad Gulfam, 36, was absent from Monday’s session, as he is still in hospital for injuries sustained in the incident.
Two shots were fired during the fight near Lan Kwai Fong in the early hours of June 10, leaving three injured.
The four face a joint count of attempted wounding with intent for trying to “unlawfully and maliciously wound” a driver and passengers in a private car outside 34 Wyndham Street with a view to inflicting grievous bodily harm.
They each face an additional count of possession of offensive weapons over eight machetes and a knife police seized from the suspects.
Police arrested Kwok, Gurung and Javed before daybreak, while picking up Gulfam in the early afternoon of the same day.
The court heard on Monday that both Gurung and Javed were permanent residents in the city. Javed’s wife and business partner were among a dozen spectators in the public gallery observing proceedings.
A court prosecutor applied for a 12-week adjournment for police to investigate the matter, including carrying out forensic examinations, searching the defendants’ mobile phones, conducting DNA analyses on seized weapons and reviewing CCTV footage.
Principal Magistrate Ada Yim Shun-yee ordered Kwok be incarcerated after the latter abandoned his right to apply for bail in the lower court. She dismissed Gurung and Javed’s applications for temporary release at the request of prosecutors.
Barrister William Allan, representing Gurung and Javed, said the pair would engage Senior Counsel Andrew Bruce in anticipation of renewing their bail bids on Friday, adding he expected a “material change of circumstances” that would justify a reversal of the magistrate’s decision.
The trio will return to the same court on September 5, while Gulfam will be brought to court after his discharge from hospital.
Wounding with intent is punishable by up to life imprisonment under the Offences against the Person Ordinance. Possessing an offensive weapon carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail and a HK$5,000 (US$637) fine under the Summary Offences Ordinance.
