HK crowds clash with police, mourn student’s death

Hong Kong police and demonstrators confronted each other in several districts after tens of thousands of people rallied to mourn the death of Chow Tsz-lok, who was injured after falling from a carpark during an earlier protest. He was pronounced dead on Friday.

Chow suffered a brain hemorrhage and pelvic fracture after he fell from the third to the second floor of a carpark in Sheung Tak Estate in the New Territories at around 1am on November 4. Riot police were firing tear gas canisters to disperse crowds next to the building around the time he fell.

Read: HK student dies after fall at protest site

The carpark management company, Link Asset Management, on November 6 disclosed 10 segments of video footage that did not show how Chow was injured. On Friday evening, the company disclosed several more videos but the case remains unresolved.

In one of the newly released video clips, after Chow was taken to hospital, a white-shirted man displayed parkour techniques near where Chow had fallen. Netizens suggested the man intended to be filmed by CCTV to imply that Chow could have been injured in a parkour stunt, rather than any protest-related action.

Chow’s death is the first confirmed protest-related fatality since the unrest began in June. Thousands of people held memorial events for Chow in various districts on Friday night.

After the events, masked people occupied roads and some vandalized MTR stations, traffic lights and pro-Beijing stores. Radical protesters burned debris on roads while others threw petrol bombs at the Tin Shui Wai police station, RTHK reported.

Police fired tear gas canisters in Mong Kok, Hung Hom and Tseung Kwan O and used pepper balls and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

In Tseung Kwan O, thousands of people gathered in the carpark where Chow fell and mourned his death on Friday afternoon.

Smaller teams of radical protesters went into The Grandiose shopping mall and vandalized a Maxim’s cakes shop, a Best Mart 360 shop and some Bank of China ATMs. Sparks and smoke were seen coming from a power supply and nearby traffic lights did not function.

At 2am, when most crowds in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island had been dispersed, dozens of police cars arrived at Sheung Tak Estate. Police used pepper sprays and pepper balls on local residents while most black-shirted people retreated into residential buildings.

Police entered Kwong Ming Estate but quickly retreated after they were warned not to enter private property without a warrant. They entered Beverly Garden and pepper-sprayed security guards who urged them to leave the building.

However, a pro-Beijing man said he would call the police to give them the right to enter Beverly Garden. His move provoked the crowd and he was beaten up.

Just after 3am, riot police re-entered Beverly Garden and rescued the man, who was bleeding from wounds. Chief superintendent Rupert Dover and Senior Superintendent David Jordan were seen at the site.

The police had a standoff with hundreds of residents. A police officer said reporters were “cockroaches” as they did not help rescue the man.

Many police officers became impatient after being scolded at by the residents for half an hour. They threatened to use pepper spray while shouting at and pushing reporters and residents.

Before police finally left the district, two officers shot residents with pepper balls.