HONG KONG (AP) Holding up posters saying Dont shoot our kids, Hong Kong residents and schoolmates of a teenage demonstrator shot at close range in the chest by a police officer rallied today to condemn police actions and demand accountability.
The shooting Tuesday during widespread anti-government demonstrations on Chinas National Day was a fearsome escalation in Hong Kongs protest violence. The 18-year-old is the first known victim of police gunfire since the protests began in June. He was hospitalized and the government said his condition was stable.
The officer fired as the teen, Tsang Chi-kin, struck him with a metal rod. The officers use of lethal weaponry inflamed already widespread public anger against police, who have been condemned as being heavy-handed in quelling the unrest.
The Hong Kong police have gone trigger-happy and nuts, pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo said.
Mo, who said she repeatedly watched videos of the shooting, echoed what many people expressed.
The sensible police response should have been to use a police baton or pepper spray, etc., to fight back. It wasnt exactly an extreme situation and the use of a live bullet simply cannot be justified, she said.
More than 2,000 people crowded into an open-air stadium near Tsangs school in Tsuen Wan district in northern Hong Kong on night. Many held posters reading, Dont shoot our kids and chanted No rioters, only tyranny.
Several other rallies were also being held simultaneously in two malls and other areas, with protesters vowing not to give up their fight for more rights including direct elections for the citys leaders and police accountability.
Earlier today, hundreds of others, including students, sat crossed-legged outside Tsangs school chanting anti-police slogans. Some held an arm across their chest below their left shoulder the location of the teenagers gunshot wound. One held a hand-written message condemning thug police.
Schoolmates said Tsang loves basketball and was passionate about the pro-democracy cause.
During the protests, we would feel safe if he is around because he was always the first to charge forward and would protect us when we were in danger, the student said.
I vividly remember him saying that he would rather die than be arrested. What an awful twist of fate that it was he of all people who was shot by the police.
Many students felt that firing at Tsangs chest, close to his heart, was an attempt to kill him. Police said Tsang has been arrested despite being hospitalized and that authorities will decide later whether to press charges.
More than 1,000 office workers also skipped their lunch to join an impromptu march in the citys business district against the police shooting.
Police defended the officers use of force as reasonable and lawful.
Police Commissioner Stephen Lo said late Tuesday the officer had feared for his life and made a split-second decision to fire a single shot at close range.
