HK police: We're not to blame for student's death

(8 Nov 2019) Police officials in Hong Kong have denied accusations that they chased after a protester who fell to his death earlier this week, vowing to pursue a full investigation into the matter. Chow Tsz-Lok fell off a parking garage on Monday after police fired tear gas during clashes with anti-government protesters and died, in a rare fatality after five months of unrest, fueling more anger in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The Hospital Authority said the 22-year-old died Friday morning, but didn't provide further details. Although the cause of his fall has not been determined, it deepened anger against police, who have been accused of heavy-handed tactics including widespread use of tear gas and pepper spray since protests demanding democratic reforms started in June. But East Kowloon District Superintendent Suzette Foo denied that officers were responsible for the death, saying the police were not present int he carpark when the protester fell. "The first time they entered to conduct a patrol, but the deceased was not yet inside. For the second time, they entered while fire services officers were already rendering first aid to the deceased already," said Foo. "There are accusations that police officers chased after the man before his fall. We must clarify that it is certainly false," she said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...