A 43-year-old man has died in hospital, 10 days after Hong Kong police fired five shots to subdue him while he was armed with a knife and a metal bar in the middle of a street in Kwai Chung.
The man, surnamed Chung, died at 8.47pm on Monday at Princess Margaret Hospital after 10 days of treatment, a government spokesman told HKFP on Tuesday.
Chung was armed with a 30-centimeter-long knife and a one-meter-long metal rod when he was shot shortly after midnight on March 21, Senior Superintendent Iu Wing-kan told a news conference that day.
The police arrived at the scene after receiving reports of a person “carrying sharp objects”. FrONt wandering outside Tsuen Wan MTR station and Castle Peak Road in Kwai Chung.
He tried to attack the police force’s emergency unit (EU) officers, who gave him verbal warnings and tried to persuade him to disarm. An officer then pepper-sprayed his face in an attempt to control him but failed, Iu said.
“The man kept rushing towards the police with a gun and shouted, ‘I’m going to hack you to death!'” Iu said.
“At this time, an EU police officer fired two shots at the man after repeated warnings proved futile. The man did not stop… Another policeman then fired another shot at him, but it was ineffective. A third EU police officer fired two shots at the man and he finally surrendered,” Iu said.
Chung was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital for emergency treatment. Two gunshot wounds were found on his body, on the right chest and right thigh, Iu said.
Chung worked as an industrial laborer and had no criminal record, according to police.
On January 15, police fired live bullets to subdue a knife-wielding man and Tuen Mun Town Plaza.
Online footage appears to show the suspect brandishing a blade on a pavement before turning towards the mall, sending people running. The suspect later died at the hospital.
