HONG KONG — A Hong Kong police officer shot an antigovernment demonstrator on Monday, an escalation that quickly inflamed tensions in the city already jittery over the recent death of a student involved in the protests.
The officer fired several shots on Monday morning toward two black-clad protesters in a neighborhood where traffic had been snarled by roadblocks. One of the protesters crumpled to the ground after being hit at point-blank range, , video footage from the scene shows, and appeared conscious afterward.
The shooting on Monday came as pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong blocked roads and scuffled with riot police officers across the city as part of what had been billed as a citywide general strike.
Here’s the latest on the Hong Kong protests:
After opening fire, an officer tackled a wounded protester.
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The video shows black-clad protesters standing on a corner of an intersection, one of them sprinting out of the frame. Suddenly, a police officer who is standing steps away, in a white shirt and neon vest, pulls his gun on a group of protesters surrounding him and fires several live rounds. (Cupid Producer, a self-described production house based in Hong Kong, broadcast the video live on Facebook from the Sai Wan Ho neighborhood.)
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“One round hit a man’s body, and he immediately fell to the ground, and there was blood on the ground,” Chan Cheuk-hin, a reporter for Cupid Producer who shot the video, told The New York Times. He said the shooting took place after 7 a.m. as the protesters blocked roads.
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The officer then tackles the protester he shot, as one of his colleagues tackles another protester from the group. “Call the ambulance!” bystanders are heard yelling. The protester who was shot is seen lying quietly on the ground, surrounded by what appear to be pools of his own blood. Mr. Chan described him as seeming to be “semiconscious.”
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The police confirmed the shooting and urged the protesters to stop threatening public safety. Its statement also said that front-line officers followed strict guidelines when discharging their firearms. The man who was shot was in critical condition, the city’s hospital authority said.
Protesters disrupted traffic to pressure the government.
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Antigovernment demonstrators blocked roads in several districts and appeared to force the suspension of some light rail services and delays on subway lines. The protesters had said that the demonstration was aimed at paralyzing public services to express their anger over the death of a student last week from a fall at a parking garage near a protest.
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The disruptions on Monday appeared to have less of an impact than a citywide general strike in August that sank the city into chaos. The actions were also timed to coincide with “Singles Day,” an annual shopping event in mainland China that generates billions of dollars in sales. The protesters urged a boycott of online shopping.
The protests quickly descended into clashes with the police.
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In the Tseung Kwan O neighborhood, police officers in black uniforms and black masks chased activists from an intersection. The officers were carrying weapons marked with neon orange — presumably rifles loaded with sponge grenades. One officer raised his gun and fired at the back of a protester he was chasing. Onlookers started shouting at the officer. “Don’t open fire! You’re actually firing on people?” they said.
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Nathan Tam, 53, a businessman who lives in Tseung Kwan O and was driving to Hong Kong Island on Monday morning, said he was commuting despite the disruptions because he had an afternoon meeting he couldn’t afford to miss.
Mr. Tam said he was thankful that his son was studying abroad in Britain. “Otherwise, with his personality, he would probably be protesting and getting shot at right now,” he said.
A police officer on a motorcycle swerved into protesters.
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Video footage circulating on social media Monday showed a police officer on a motorcycle swerving into a crowd of protesters on an otherwise deserted street, clipping at least one of them.
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In the video, which local news outlets said had been recorded on Monday morning in the Kwai Fong district of northern Hong Kong, a crowd of black-clad protesters were seen retreating as the motorcycle wove through them at a slow speed.
A student’s death provoked outrage and questions.
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Tens of thousands of people gathered at a park outside the Hong Kong government headquarters on Saturday in memory of Chow Tsz-lok, 22, who died after falling from a parking garage amid protests last Monday. A constant stream of people left paper cranes and white flowers at a stage where speakers gave emotional addresses.
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Mr. Chow, a student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, suffered head and pelvic injuries when he fell one story. Some protesters have blamed the police for his death, but the circumstances of his fall remain unclear.
Tensions are running high ahead of local elections.
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Some protesters see the coming Nov. 24 district council elections as a chance to convert deep anger toward the government into electoral gains.
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On Monday, Isaac Lee, a district council candidate and third-year university student, stood on the sidelines of a protest in Tseung Kwan O, the neighborhood where Mr. Chow, the university student, had fallen from a parking garage last week. Mr. Lee said he was there to observe and to mediate in case clashes broke out.
“I think this kind of one-day action might not be very effective,” Mr. Lee said, referring to transit disruptions across the city. “There needs to be a long-term strike to impact the economy and change the mindset of the government.”
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Video footage and photos on Monday also showed clouds of tear gas wafting over the campuses of several universities. Classes were suspended at those universities and elsewhere.
Katherine Li contributed reporting.
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