Hong Kong Police Fires Live Round At Protester
The riots in Hong Kong seem nowhere near resolution. On Monday morning (11 Nov), a protester was shot in the chest after trying to snatch the firearm of a police officer.
The entire incident was recorded by Facebook user Cupid Producer, which you can view in full here. Do note that the video is graphic.
The commotion had begun when protesters put up strings across traffic light poles to disrupt traffic.
Passengers on buses had to alight, while many other private vehicles, including taxis, were stalled.
Policeman attempts to disperse the crowd
A police officer then tries to disperse the crowd of protesters so the vehicles could pass.
However, one protester – who seems to have with him a group of friends – refused to cooperate. He taunted the police officer, which led to the officer drawing his weapon and making an arrest.
As the police officer had the white sweater protester in arm-lock, another protester, in a black sweater, charged at him and tried to snatch the officer’s firearm.
Sensing danger to himself as well as to the public (should the protester get hold of the gun), the police officer decided to use the firearm against the protester.
Injured protester lying in pool of blood
Seconds later, the video shows the protester who was shot lying in a pool of blood. He raised his head and moved his arms weakly a couple of times.
The riot police had to step in to make sure that the police officers wouldn’t be harassed further.
Finally, an ambulance arrived and took the injured protester away.
The situation started to diffuse afterwards. There is no official report yet about the state of the protester who got shot. There has also been no statement released by the police department in Hong Kong.
This is a developing story and we will continue to update it as soon as more information transpires.
Featured images adapted from Facebook.