Published: 21:49, January 15, 2026 | Updated: 12:19, January 16, 2026
Shots fired as HK police confront knife-wielding man in Tuen Mun
By Lu Wanqing in Hong Kong
Officers secure the scene at Tuen Mun Town Plaza in Hong Kong after police opened fire to subdue a knife-wielding man on Jan 15, 2025. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong police shot a man after he was seen brandishing a meat cleaver in Tuen Mun late Thursday night. The suspect was pronounced dead after being taken unconscious to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment, police announced in a social media post.

The incident reportedly occurred at 7:13 pm near Tuen Mun Town Plaza, after the suspect seized a knife from a nearby store’s kitchen area and went outside. A shop clerk who saw this notified the police.

Online videos show the suspect — a man dressed in a white shirt and carrying a black backpack — on the street, gesturing with the meat cleaver, then advancing toward a mall entrance, triggering panic. Dozens of distressed shoppers fled the premises, with screams audible in some clips.

In the scramble to escape, two women can be seen falling to the ground, following a brief struggle with the suspect.

An officer at the scene then opened fire, with at least two shots alleged to have been fired.

The confrontation ended with the suspect collapsing with an apparent stomach wound. The two women escaped safely.

People pass the secured scene at Tuen Mun Town Plaza in Hong Kong after police opened fire to subdue a knife-wielding man on Jan 15, 2025. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The screenshot taken from Hong Kong Police’s livestream shows senior superintendent Eileen Chung Lai Yee briefing the press about the shooting of a knife-wielding man in Tuen Mun on Jan 15, 2026. (HONG KONG POLICE@YOUTUBE)