In a rare instance of police using their service weapons, an officer shot and killed a knife-wielding man in a Yau Ma Tei grocery store on Saturday afternoon after the suspect slashed an employee in the head.
According to a statement from police, officers on patrol saw a man carrying a knife running towards Pak Hoi Street at around 12:30pm and gave chase. They followed the man into the Kai Bo Food Supermarket on the corner of Reclamation and Pak Hoi, where they saw him attack a member of the staff.
“After giving verbal warning but in vain, a male police constable fired one shot at the 54-year-old man when the 54-year-old man attempted to attack the male staff member with the knife again,” the statement reads.
The shot struck the suspect in the right side of the chest. He was taken to Kwong Wa Hospital in an unconscious state, and was pronounced dead at 1:21pm. The grocery store staff member was also sent to Kwong Wah to be treated for a cut to his head.
CCTV footage of the incident shows a frantic scramble inside the shop as the suspect runs in carrying a large knife and almost immediately rushes the staff member. The two scuffle out of view as officers arrive at the scene, with one officer firing a shot seconds later.
The assailant then collapses to ground and stops moving almost immediately.
In an email to Coconuts HK, police confirmed that an initial investigation found that the officer had complied with established protocol in using deadly force.
The Police General Orders permit officers to open fire in order to protect themselves or others from death or serious injury, in order to arrest someone who has committed a serious or violent crime, or in order to put down a riot or insurrection.
According to the representative, there have been only seven instances of police opening fire in more than two years, though data was not available on how often the use of force was found to be justified, or how often it resulted in a suspect’s death.
District police official Tsang Chung-bun told the South China Morning Post that the suspect and the store employee had gotten into an argument a few minutes prior to the incident, with the suspect leaving the store, finding the knife, and returning to attack the employee.
Update: This story has been revised to include new comments from a police representative.
