Death of Luo Changqing

Luo Changqing, a 70-year-old Hong Kong cleaner, died from head injuries sustained after he was hit by a brick thrown by a Hong Kong protester during a violent confrontation between two groups in Sheung Shui, Hong Kong on 13 November 2019. Following his injuries, he was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, where he died the next day. This incident is described as the sole fatality directly attributed to the Hong Kong protests that began in 2019.

The victim was identified as Luo Changqing, a 70-year-old man, who worked as a government-contracted cleaner. He was an outsourced worker of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. The police found that Luo had no political background or inclination and was not a member of any organisation. The Federation of Hong Kong Shenzhen Associations said that he was born and raised in Hong Kong.

On 13 November 2019, a conflict between opposing groups took place on Lung Wan Street, outside the North District Town Hall, in Sheung Shui. Around noon, several people were trying to clear bricks left by protesters on the street. They were described by media outlets as residents of Sheung Shui or government supporters. However, a group of protesters appeared and argued with the group who were clearing bricks, after which the violent confrontation between the two sides erupted. During this encounter, the protesters left after a few minutes of arguing and then came back with a group of about 30 protesters.

The fight between the two groups broke out at 11.52 am. It involved members of both sides hurling bricks at each other. The protesters were dressed in black, wore masks over their faces, and carried umbrellas used as protection during the fight. The incident lasted for about a minute, after which the protesters retreated under the shelter of their umbrellas.

Luo was part of the group who were clearing the street. Before the incident, he was helping to clear the street. The location was about 300 metres away from his workplace. He was on his lunch break at the time. During the confrontation, he was using his mobile phone to record the conflict. He did not participate in the brick throwing.

Luo was hit by a brick thrown by one of the black-clad protesters. He lost consciousness after he was hit and did not regain it before he died. He was transported to the North District Hospital and then transferred to the Prince of Wales Hospital, where he was admitted to the neurosurgery high-dependency unit. Luo's family arrived from mainland China, after which the Hong Kong Police Force escorted them to Luo who was then still unconscious at the Prince of Wales Hospital.

Luo died at the Prince of Wales Hospital. The time of death was 10:51 pm on 14 November 2019, the day after he was struck. The cause of death was a brainstem hemorrhage resulting from the head trauma. His death is described as the first and only fatality directly attributed to the Hong Kong protests that began in 2019.

An area near where Luo Changqing was killed, outside the North District Town Hall, became a memorial to him. On 15 November 2019, a public vigil for Luo was held at the site. However, a few days later, the memorial site was vandalised by unknown perpetrators.