Hong Kong police defend shooting of 18-year-old protester, say officer was acting in self-defence

HONG KONG — An 18-year-old student was shot in the chest with a live round fired by Hong Kong police during anti-government protests aimed at tarnishing National Day celebrations on Tuesday (Oct 1) in Beijing, China.

An amateur video of the violent demonstrations on Tuesday showed a policeman pointing a pistol at a black-clad protester and firing a round, after which the young man falls to the floor.

The footage, taken by students during a chaotic melee in the Tsuen Wan area of the city, is the first known instance of a protester being shot with live ammunition during weeks of clashes between police and pro-democracy campaigners. 

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Police confirmed that an officer opened fire at a protester, saying he was acting in self-defence.

"A large group of rioters was attacking police officers in Tsuen Wan," police said in a statement.

"Police officers warned them, but they were still attacking police. A police officer's life was seriously endangered. In order to save his and other officers' lives, they fired at the attacker."

One clip posted on social media and verified by Reuters shows the protester swing a baton at a policeman, brushing his right arm.

When the footage is slowed down, a white flash appears at the end of the pistol barrel pointing at the protester's chest from around a metre away. The protester stumbles over another policeman and falls on his back.

A second protester wearing a yellow construction hat rushes to the wounded man's aid before being tackled to the ground by police.

After lying motionless for several moments, the wounded protester removes his gas mask and calls weakly for help, giving his name and saying his chest hurts and that he needs to go to hospital. A policeman then kneels beside him and begins to tend to his wound.

TEENAGER IN STABLE CONDITION ON WEDNESDAY

Hong Kong police commissioner Stephen Lo said on Tuesday the 18-year-old was conscious when he was taken to hospital.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the student from Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College was transferred from Princess Margaret Hospital to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he underwent a chest operation to have the bullet removed.

A government press release issued at 1.58am on Wednesday said the student was in a stable condition after the operation.

SCMP also published on Wednesday a medical scan allegedly showing fragments of the bullet in the teenager’s chest.

It was one of two medical scans that were reportedly leaked, and a source who reviewed them was quoted as saying the bullet had “barely missed the heart”, SCMP said. 

The teenager was subsequently arrested for assaulting a police officer, the report added. 

STREETS OF HONG KONG A PROTEST BATTLEFIELD

The incident came as thousands of protesters, some wearing Guy Fawkes masks, took to the streets to defy the city's Chinese rulers on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.

Cat-and-mouse clashes spread from the upmarket district of Causeway Bay to the Admiralty area of government offices on Hong Kong island. Violence also escalated across the harbour to Kowloon and beyond to the New Territories in the most widespread unrest in nearly four months.

Fifteen people were wounded across the territory, one critically, the Hospital Authority said without giving details.

Police fired water cannon and volley after volley of tear gas to disperse protesters throwing Molotov cocktails outside central government offices in the Admiralty area and ordered the evacuation of the Legislative Council building next door.

Police said rioters had used corrosive fluid in Tuen Mun in the west of the New Territories, "injuring multiple police officers and reporters". No details were immediately available.

The territory has been tense for weeks, with protests often turning violent, as activists tried to spoil Beijing's birthday parade at a time when the central government is already grappling with a trade war with the United States and a slowing economy.

By the afternoon, police and protesters were involved in standoffs across Hong Kong, with the streets littered with tear gas canisters and other debris.

Earlier, thousands of black-clad protesters marched from Causeway Bay toward government headquarters in Admiralty, defying a ban on a rally.

Rail operator MTR Corp shut down many of its metro stations to stop protesters moving around. Shutting stations have made them a common target for attack, and a fire was lit at Admiralty station on Tuesday.

Protesters had vowed to seize the opportunity on China's National Day to propel their calls for greater democracy onto the international stage, hijacking an occasion Beijing sees as an opportunity to showcase China's economic and military progress.

"I’m not young, but if we don’t march now, we’ll never have the chance to speak again, it’s as simple as that,” said one marcher near Causeway Bay, a 42-year-old woman with her own logistics company who identified herself as Li.

Hundreds of officials and members of Hong Kong's pro-establishment elite began the day with a flag-raising ceremony and National Day reception at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, held early and moved behind closed doors. Roads to the centre were closed and tightly policed.

Hong Kong had benefited from China's support under the "one country, two systems" policy, Acting Chief Executive Matthew Cheung told the assembly, referring to guarantees of political freedoms after the city's handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

But he said escalating violence was disrupting social order and hurting the economy.

The government of embattled leader Carrie Lam has already cancelled an annual Oct 1 fireworks display over the city's Victoria Harbour, citing public safety.

Mrs Lam, who was trapped in a stadium for hours last week after attending the "open dialogue", left for Beijing on Monday to celebrate China's birthday on the mainland. She will return on Tuesday.

CHOREOGRAPHED FESTIVITIES

In contrast to events in Hong Kong, Beijing's carefully choreographed anniversary festivities included troops marching through part of Tiananmen Square with new missiles and floats celebrating the country's technological prowess.

Mrs Lam was shown on television smiling as a float celebrating Hong Kong went past as she sat with Chinese officials.

The Communist Party leadership is determined to project an image of national strength and unity in the face of challenges including Hong Kong's unrest.

"On our journey forward, we must uphold the principles of peaceful reunification and one country, two systems; maintain lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau... and continue to strive for the motherland's complete reunification," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a nationally televised speech in Beijing. AGENCIES