Three Hong Kong police officers fired five shots at a 43-year-old construction worker suspected of mental problems early Saturday morning after he charged at them wielding a knife and metal rod, ignoring warnings and pepper spray. He was hit twice in the chest and thigh, sent unconscious to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung for surgery, and remained in critical condition as of 10am.
Early Saturday morning, Hong Kong police received two reports: the first at 12.17am of a man behaving abnormally and carrying weapons while wandering around Tsuen Wan MTR station; the second at 12.44am of the armed man on Cheung Wing Road in Kwai Chung. Officers were dispatched to both locations but found no sign of the suspect. Senior Superintendent Iu Wing-kan said that the 43-year-old construction worker, suspected to have mental problems, then charged at three officers carrying a serrated knife and metal rod. Despite verbal warnings and ineffective pepper spray, the officers fired a total of five shots, hitting him twice in the right chest and thigh. He was unconscious upon arrival at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, where he underwent surgery, and was in critical condition as of 10am.