PUBLISHED ONJanuary 16, 2026 6:52 AMBYSean LerA 34-year-old man who died after being shot by Hong Kong police officers on Thursday (Jan 16) night was found with suspected drugs and had triad affiliations, along with criminal records.
He is reportedly of Vietnamese descent and held a Hong Kong identity card.
The update was given by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Eileen Chung, from the Hong Kong Police's (HKP) New Territories North Regional Headquarters, during a media briefing on the same night.
SSP Chung said officers found a baton and a packet of suspected drugs in the 34-year-old's bag.
She added that it could not be ruled out that the man, who had triad affiliations and criminal records, was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.
Hong Kong media outlet The Standard reported that the suspected drugs were about 1kg of suspected methamphetamine.
@asiaone A man seen wielding a knife along Hong Kong's Tuen Shun Street in Tuen Mun was shot by police on Thursday (Jan 15) evening. #news #HongKongNews #Police #Shooting ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Providing a rundown of what happened, SSP Chung said the man took a knife from a sushi restaurant at about 7pm.
Police officers responding to the incident found the knife-wielding man on Tuen Wui Road and issued him with a verbal warning. One round from a pepper spray gun was also discharged by an officer.
The man then ran into Tuen Mun Town Plaza, with videos showing mallgoers rushing out.
As the man exited the mall using another exit, he allegedly ignored officers' warnings, grabbed a female passer-by and held her hostage.
"Two of our officers each fired a shot at the man. He was subdued by officers after falling to the ground," said SSP Chung, adding that the officers had "no other alternative" but to open fire to save the life of the woman taken hostage.
The suspect was reportedly shot in the chest and right shoulder. He was taken unconscious to the hospital where he died of his injuries.
Weighing in on the officers' action, Secretary for Security Chris Tang told Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK that the man is believed to have suffered from mental health issues, but said HKP would need to ascertain if he was under the influence of drugs.
He also praised the officers' "brave and decisive" actions.
"This decision was not easy. But we have to be decisive to save lives - which was to aim at the largest part of the suspect's body to stop him from possibly putting the lives of others in danger, when he was about to stab the victim," RTHK reported the secretary as saying.
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