Family of man who died after being shot by Hong Kong police files complaint
Hong Kong Free Press
The family of a man who died after being shot by the police has filed a complaint against the force, questioning why the officer resorted to firing their gun after being called to handle a domestic dispute.
The widow and older brother of the deceased lodged their complaint at the police headquarters in Wan Chai. The pair, who wore white to symbolise their mourning, later met the press in front of the police building.
“I told [the police] multiple times not to shoot, not to shoot. I can’t understand why the policemen had to shoot… I called the police to help me, not to shoot my husband dead. I deeply regret calling the police,” the widow, who did not provide her name, told the press in Cantonese.
The older brother said they would go to the police headquarters again on Wednesday to give testimony. The Coroners’ Court will begin deliberation on an inquest into the death in three to nine months, the family added.
The 36-year-old man surnamed Lee died in hospital last Sunday night after he was shot in the chest at home by a police officer.
Police went to the residential unit in Kam Ping Street, in North Point, last Sunday after receiving a report at 9.19 pm from a woman saying that she and her mother-in-law were being assaulted. According to the police, Lee was holding a 30-centimetre long knife and a pair of scissors.
Police superintendent Sin Kwok-ming told reporters last Monday that Lee had been “charging at” the officers with weapons in both hands, therefore police had no option but to shoot. Lee was fired at from a distance of approximately 1.5 metres.
Sin also said the man had a long-term record of mental illness and had been followed by social workers, adding that he had reportedly shown signs of a relapse lately.
Sin sent his condolences to the family and said the the police would conduct a full-scale investigation into the incident.
Gunshots questioned
Lee’s widow questioned on Sunday why police had not tried other means to de-escalate the situation before resorting to gunshots.
“There were multiple [methods] available. They’re professional – can use batons, pepper spray… or you can call the Police Negotiation Cadre… Without communication, shooting him dead is unreasonable,” the wife said in Cantonese. “My husband died with his eyes open,” she said, referring to the belief that his spirit would be unable to rest. “I am shocked by this treatment.”
According to the family, Lee’s wife and mother had locked themselves in a room before the police arrived at the scene, leaving Lee alone in the living room.
While in the room, the wife kept in touch with the police through mobile phone, urging them not to shoot.
Paul Yip, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and a member of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, said on TVB that the incident was a tragedy. Yip said if the police had anticipated a dangerous situation or learned the other party was someone with a mental illness, they could have taken more defensive measures, such as wearing protective gear or carrying shields, to avoid using methods that could be fatal.
The Hong Kong Police Force has a guide for interacting with what it calls “mentally incapacitated persons,” which suggests officers offer a “slow or no response towards instructions or questions,” and “reduce the stress of the subject.”
However, the guide does not indicate measures to adopt when violence is involved.
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