Hong Kong police have shot and killed a man who brandished a meat cleaver at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun, with the force saying the officers involved had no choice but to open fire to save a passer-by.
The tragedy unfolded around 7pm on Thursday near Tuen Mun Town Hall on Tuen Wui Road.
Police said the 34-year-old man killed was a Hong Kong identity card holder. They said preliminary information from his family pointed to a history of mental illness, although authorities were still seeking to confirm that.
The man could also have been under the influence of drugs, police said. Officers found a retractable baton and a packet of suspected illegal drugs in his bag, they said.
The man, who had a triad background, also had a criminal record that included drug-related offences, the force added.
Security camera footage and video clips taken by passers-by purportedly showing the incident have been circulating online, including one in which a man in a white tracksuit is seen carrying a 20cm knife entering the Tuen Mun Town Plaza mall.
Another shows a man in the same clothing entering a kitchen and calmly grabbing a knife from a counter, while a confused worker looks on. The caption said the video was taken inside the Don Don Donki store in Tuen Mun.