Senior Superintendent Iu Wing-kan of New Territories South Regional Headquarters said officers fired only after repeated warnings, pepper spray, and de-escalation attempts failed against a charging, armed suspect who threatened to kill them.
His comments came after a 43-year-old man was shot by police early Saturday morning in Kwai Chung after he repeatedly ignored commands to drop his knife and pointed it at officers.
Iu stated that deciding to shoot is never easy, but officers gave sufficient warnings before using force.
He explained that the 43-year-old man ignored verbal commands, a face full of pepper spray, and three separate warning shots from officers.
The suspect continued advancing, attempted to attack with weapons, and shouted, “I’ll chop you dead.”
Only then did officers fire to stop the imminent threat to themselves and the public.
The action occurred at 2–5 meters under bright street lighting and was described as reasonable and necessary force.
The confrontation lasted a few minutes. The man was subdued and sent to hospital for surgery.
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Police shoot knife-wielding man in Kwai Chung after warnings ignored
