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Fiona Sun

Three Hong Kong police officers fired a total of five shots at a knife-wielding man suspected to have mental problems after he charged at them in the early hours of Saturday morning, hitting him twice.
The assailant, a 43-year-old construction worker, was struck in the right chest and thigh, the force said. He was unconscious when sent to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, where he underwent surgery.
He was in a critical condition as of 10am, according to authorities.
Senior Superintendent Iu Wing-kan said police received a report at 12.17am of a man behaving abnormally and carrying weapons as he wandered around Tsuen Wan MTR station.
Another report came at 12.44am of the armed man on Cheung Wing Road in Kwai Chung.
Officers were sent to both locations but found no sign of the suspect.
The force was alerted by several drivers at around 1am that the man was on the Kwai Chung section of Castle Peak Road and brandishing a serrated knife and a metal rod.
According to police, the knife was 30cm (12 inches) long and the rod was one metre.
When members of the force’s emergency unit arrived at the scene to search for him, the man suddenly jumped out of the bushes and charged at the officers.
They gave verbal warnings before using pepper spray to try to stop him, which proved ineffective.
Three officers then fired five shots at the man to subdue him.

Providing an account of the decision to open fire, Iu said: “The man continued charging at our colleagues with his weapons, yelling ‘I’ll kill you’.
“After warnings were ignored, one of our officers fired two shots at the man in an attempt to stop him.
“After the shooting, the man did not stop his attack and continued to chase our colleagues, intending to harm them with his weapons.
“At this point, another officer fired a shot in hopes of subduing him, but it was ineffective. Finally, a third officer fired two shots at him, finally subduing him.”
The shots were fired from distances of about two to five metres (6.6 to 16.4 feet) and the scene was brightly lit, he said.
The senior superintendent said the confrontation lasted several minutes and defended the officers’ decision to open fire.
“Opening fire at a suspect is not an easy decision. I believe my colleagues made this difficult decision only after giving ample warnings, when they had no other choice, and ultimately acted decisively to subdue someone who could have posed a danger to police officers and even to the general public,” he said.
“When the last two shots were fired, and we were able to subdue the suspect, we immediately ceased all force.”
Iu said the man was a Hong Kong identity card holder, with no previous criminal record.
A backpack, believed to belong to the man, was found at the scene and contained camping sleeping bags, thermal blankets, clothes, cash and his identity documents.
Iu said the reports had described the man as wearing a dress and muttering to himself.
He also said the man was suspected of having mental health problems and police would investigate the case, including possible motives.
The case marked the second time this year that officers opened fire.
In January, police shot and killed a 34-year-old man who brandished a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun, with the force saying the officers involved had no choice but to open fire to save a passer-by.
Police at the time said preliminary information from his family pointed to a history of mental health problems, and the man could also have been under the influence of drugs. Officers found a retractable baton and a packet of suspected illegal drugs in his bag.


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News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Police say officers opened fire after verbal warnings ignored and pepper spray was ineffective


Police say officers opened fire after verbal warnings ignored and pepper spray was ineffective.


Crime in Hong Kong

Crime

Police officers fire 5 shots at charging armed assailant, hitting him twice

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Police say officers opened fire after verbal warnings ignored and pepper spray was ineffective

Police say officers opened fire after verbal warnings ignored and pepper spray was ineffective