Rare shooting in Hong Kong injures four

At least four people were injured in a shooting at a park in Hong Kong today, police said, a rare attack in the southern Chinese city which has a reputation for safety. 

The suspected shooter fired at passers-by at a harbourfront park in eastern Hong Kong Island, according to a police spokeswoman. Local TV footage showed an injured man sitting on the ground with a bloodied arm while another was carried into an ambulance.

Those injured included two male and two female, police said.Witnesses heard at least four gunshots and two people were shot in the head, local news channel i-Cable reported, at the largely residential neighbourhood for middle-income families.

A woman was later arrested at a shopping mall nearby as officers sealed the park, but police did not immediately provide more information.

Shootings and gun-related incidents are unusual in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory with a relatively low level of street crime. Under Hong Kong law, no one is allowed to possess any arms or ammunition unless they hold a permit for possession or a dealer's license.

A drunk man snatched a gun from a policeman in March this year, shooting and injuring two officers, the South China Morning Post reported.