Family members of an armed mentally ill man shot dead by Hong Kong police have urged the force to disclose whether officers turned on their body cameras at the time and to share any recordings from the confrontation.
The family of the 38-year-old man surnamed Li, who was shot by an officer last month after he allegedly attacked his wife and mother, told the Post they hoped the footage could help them retrace events behind the “unacceptable” incident.
“We want to know whether the officers enforcing the law that evening had filmed anything that happened. That’s the truth everybody wants to know,” said the deceased man’s widow, who asked to remain anonymous.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
Li’s brother said he believed the cameras worn by some responding officers had not been turned on when they entered the flat, demanding an explanation from the force about the relevant protocols when using the devices.
Such footage would be important in helping the family learn more about the incident, including the exchange between Li and police officers before he was shot, he said.
In response to Post inquiries, a force spokesman said police took the case very seriously, with the Hong Kong Island regional crime unit conducting a thorough investigation which would culminate in a report to the coroner.
Sources said that there were internal guidelines, but no “hard and fast” rules on when frontline officers should turn on their body cameras, adding that dispute situations could escalate quickly or be subject to unforeseen changes, leaving little to no time for officers to switch on their cameras.
Li’s mother, 68, also spoke about the September 15 incident, recalling that her son had been pacing around in the living room of their rooftop subdivided flat in North Point after dinner.
When Li’s mother tried to give him a glass of water to calm him down, he suddenly punched her in the head, she said.
The mother, whose left forearm is still in a cast, said she had fallen and broken her arm after being struck.
She said Li’s wife, 41, then rushed out from the bedroom and pulled her husband away from her.
Li’s mother used the opportunity to escape from the flat. After that, Li’s wife locked herself in her bedroom and called the police.
The wife said she only came out of the flat when an officer told her it was safe to do so, but emerged to find her husband sprawled near the entrance of the kitchen with his “upper body completely bloodied”.
“I kept crying and wanted to go over to see if he was okay, but the officers wouldn’t let me,” she said. “They dragged me back into the bedroom, I wasn’t allowed to remain in the living room.”
Li’s mother said she left the flat after her daughter-in-law came to help her and only returned when a building security guard told her the police were on their way.
She said she then stood at the entrance of a stairwell next to the flat’s iron gate and, when three police officers arrived, told them her son was mentally ill and advised them against physically confronting him.
“I kept telling them: ‘My son has something wrong in his head. He’s scared and sweaty all over. He’s terrified of you guys, please communicate with him and don’t hit him,’” she said.
But the mother said she could not recall whether the three officers standing outside her home had carried shields and other tactical gear, citing her intense anxiety from worrying about her son’s safety.
The force had said the situation was “critical” at the time, adding that officers attempted to convince Li, who was standing in the kitchen holding a knife and a pair of scissors, to lay down the items. But Li did not heed their warnings and advanced towards them.
“To protect everyone’s safety in this situation, we had no other choice. I can see that our colleagues acted professionally,” Superintendent Sin Kwok-ming of the Hong Kong Island regional crime unit told the press after the shooting.
A retiree surnamed Lam, 64, who lived next door to the family, told the Post on Monday he had heard three shouts of “put down the knife” from his flat before hearing a loud bang. The encounter lasted “about five seconds”, he said.
According to the family, Li had a history of mental illness dating back at least seven years.
Li’s father said his son had been hospitalised five times over the past decade, twice in the last three years and in situations requiring police assistance.
His son would stay in the psychiatric ward at Pamela Youde Nethersole Hospital for two to three months each time, he added.
A Hospital Authority spokesman earlier confirmed that the psychiatric department of the hospital in Chai Wan had seen Li for his condition since 2017.
But the elder Li said his son had not been violent on the two earlier occasions when police had been called.
“If you told him he was ill, he would become angry and speak loudly. His movements sometimes looked like he was going to punch someone, but he wouldn’t have,” the 70-year-old said.
Li’s father said officers involved in the earlier two episodes had to carry his son to a waiting ambulance.
Li’s widow said she had been unable to learn if her husband was still alive following the recent confrontation as she and her mother-in-law were sent to hospital. She only found out he had died when she checked the news at 5am the next day.
Li’s wife said the couple had got married in 2014 after dating for several years in Shenzhen, before she moved to Hong Kong in 2018.
“He had social anxiety disorder [when I met him], but I realised he was kind. That’s why I chose to keep in touch and get to know him,” she said.
More from South China Morning Post:
- ‘Unacceptable’: Hong Kong widow of man shot dead by police says she regrets call for help
- Hong Kong police officer acted professionally to fatally shoot armed man, force says
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2024.
