Dead Street Cleaner 'wasn't Involved' In Altercation

Police say a 70-year-old street-cleaner who died on Thursday night after apparently being struck in the head by a brick during a scuffle, was thought to be on his lunch break and hadn’t been involved in any confrontation when he was wounded in Sheung Shui on Wednesday.

Senior superintendent Chan Tin-chu said more than 10 people were voluntarily clearing up bricks that had been used to block traffic on Lung Wan Street, when they were attacked by more than 20 masked protesters wearing black.

He said the deceased, who worked for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department through a subcontractor, was not working at the time, and was taking a video of the altercation on his phone, when a protester allegedly threw a brick at him, knocking him out

Chan said he believes the attack was ‘malicious’ and police are investigating the case as a murder.

He said preliminary investigations suggest the man was not helping to clear the roads, wasn’t involved in any argument with anyone, and had only been taking a video of what was happening.

He said a wound on the victim’s left forehead was consistent with one that would be caused by a blow from a brick, though the Coroners’ Court will have to determine the official cause of death.

The Prince of Wales Hospital announced the man’s death shortly before midnight. “The patient's situation continuously deteriorated. He passed away", a spokesperson for the hospital said in a statement.