Customers walk through the Plaza Hollywood shopping mall in Hong Kong in this May 2, 2003 photo. (PHOTO / AFP)
HONG KONG – Two women – aged 22 and 26 years – were killed in a stabbing incident at a shopping mall in Diamond Hill on Friday.
Police arrested a 39-year-old man for murder at the scene. He is being detained for further inquiries.
At about 5:15 pm, police received reports that two women were assaulted by a man with a knife in Plaza Hollywood on 3 Lung Poon Street.
The two women were shopping on the third floor of the shopping mall when the incident took place, according to local media reports. Security camera footage showed the assailant suddenly stabbing one of the women from the back in front of a cosmetic shop.
The Social Welfare Department has urged the public not to share the murder video, which has gone viral on the internet
Videos posted online after incident showed the man stabbing a woman from behind multiple times before the victim’s female companion pushed him back. The man continued the attack before turning the knife on the woman who intervened, media reports say.
Police rushed to the scene and found two women lying unconscious on the floor. “Sustaining multiple stab wounds, they were rushed to the United Christian Hospital,” the Hong Kong Police Force said in a statement.
The 26-year-old woman was certified dead at 6:06 pm while the 22-year-old woman was declared dead at 6:47 pm, added the statement.
A 12-inch-long knife was seized from the scene.
Post-mortem examinations will be conducted later to ascertain the causes of their deaths, police added.
The Regional Crime Unit of Kowloon East is conducting an investigation into the incident.
The Social Welfare Department has urged the public not to share the murder video, which has gone viral on the internet.
It has advised people to seek professional support if they experience any emotional distress.