Hong Kong policeman grabbed by neck, thrown down stairs before shooting suspect 3 times, force says

A Hong Kong police officer believed his life was in danger when he shot a Filipino man three times after being grabbed by the neck and pushed down a flight of stairs while investigating a routine noise complaint at a residence on Peng Chau island, the force on Wednesday said.

The suspect, 43, was shot in the abdomen and arm on Tuesday night and was airlifted to a Chai Wan hospital in critical condition, police said. He was “out of danger” after undergoing surgery, the Philippine consulate told the Post.

According to Au Yeung Ki, acting superintendent of the marine regional headquarters for crime, the officer responded to a noise complaint at 10.40pm, the second in about two hours, at a flat on Wing On Street in the quiet village community.

The suspect, who was 1.8-metres tall (5 feet, 9 inches), opened the door and attacked the officer, grabbing his neck so hard he apparently drew blood, Au Yeung said. He pushed the policeman down the stairs, ran after him and continued the attack, he added.

The officer fired his gun three times, hitting the suspect in the abdomen and arm.

“The [suspect’s] behaviour was very brutal,” Au Yeung said. “According to our preliminary investigation, our colleague felt his life was being threatened, and he might be subjected to serious bodily harm. It was a proper use of gunfire at that moment.”

The suspect, a Filipino national who held a Hong Kong identity card, was airlifted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, according to authorities.

The Philippine consulate said the surgery went well and it was closely coordinating with local authorities, adding it expected to receive a full report on the incident soon.

Police shootings are extremely rare in Hong Kong, as officers do not face a threat from civilian gun ownership. While internal guidelines govern how escalating levels of force should be applied according to the threat faced, one ethnic minority concern group raised the possibility that miscommunication between the officer and the Filipino man could have escalated the situation.

Hong Kong police officer opens fire on man while investigating noise complaint

Chief Inspector Chan Shuk-kwan, divisional commander of Cheung Chau, said the police officer was a 35-year veteran of the force who had never fired a shot on the job.

The suspect was warned before the officer used his firearm, she added, without elaborating.

Au Yeung said the suspect was having a barbecue with three men and four women at the flat, and empty bottles of liquor and beer were found at the scene.

The Filipino and another 33-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of assaulting police, he said. The younger man was also being detained for allegedly obstructing officers in the execution of their duty.

We warned man before shooting him dead, Hong Kong police insist

Peng Chau residents said Southeast Asians could often be found attending such gatherings, especially on weekends and during holidays.

“They like to gather, barbecue and sing,” said Ho Chun, 45, a saleswoman. “There are conflicts sometimes when neighbours try to persuade them to keep quiet.”

The executive director of Unison, an outreach group for ethnic minority groups, questioned whether the officer had the option to use a lower level of force to get the emotional suspect under control. John Tse Wing-ling said non-verbal communication was crucial in such confrontations if there is a language barrier to cross.

“If a law enforcement officer only speaks Chinese that’s not understood by the other party, what body language would the officer use to ensure the other party can understand an important message?” he said.

Tse also asked whether officers had received sufficient training on racial and cultural sensitivities to properly deal with the 8 per cent of the population who did not speak Chinese.

Internal police guidelines lay out six levels of escalating force officers should use depending on the severity they faced. Use of firearms is deemed a last resort and justified when an officer feels an attack could result in serious injury or death.

Only a handful of police shooting have taken place in recent years. In April 2021, officers shot a driver in his shoulder to end an 8km (5 miles) car chase in Sha Tin. The construction worker was found guilty of dangerous driving and sentenced to three years in jail last October.

In November 2019, 23-year-old anti-government protester Patrick Chow Pak-kwan was shot in the abdomen at close range when he attempted to snatch a police officer’s handgun. Chow, who was in critical condition at one point, was convicted of robbery and another two charges last August.

In 2009, a police officer fatally shot Nepalese street sleeper Dil Bahadur Limbu. A 76-day inquest determined the killing was lawful.