Hong Kong police shoot, critically injure protester

A protester attempts to pick up a teargas canister fired by police during a demonstration on November 10, 2019 in Hong Kong, China.

Anthony Kwan | Getty Images News | Getty Images

A Hong Kong protester is in critical condition after being shot by police on Monday, potentially exacerbating an already volatile situation days after a group of pro-democracy lawmakers was arrested in the city.

A hospital press officer told CNBC that a 21-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound. Earlier, a police spokesperson said two people were hurt and taken conscious to the hospital after police opened fire with live rounds.

The injured individuals were conscious when they were removed from the scene, said the press officer, who did not say how many shots were fired. The incident occurred at 7:24 a.m. local time outside the Sai Wan Ho Mass Transit Railway station.

Protesters blocked roads and vandalized shopping malls across Hong Kong's New Territories and Kowloon peninsula on Sunday during another weekend of anti-government demonstrations.

Pro-democracy lawmakers arrested

The latest mass demonstrations come after three pro-democracy lawmakers were arrested on Saturday and reports indicated that others were warned they soon could be taken into custody.

Hong Kong is scheduled to hold local elections this month.

Among the demands made by protesters is a more representative democracy to choose the city leader, who is currently elected by a small, most pro-Beijing group of elites.

Hong Kong currently operates under the "one country, two systems" principle where Beijing gives Hong Kong citizens some legal and economic freedoms that it denies people on mainland China.

Separately, a 22-year-old protester died in the hospital on Friday following a fall from a height near a clash with police. His death sparked several protests, including flash-mob demonstrations at lunchtime on Friday and a rally near the government headquarters on Sunday.

Hong Kong stocks tumbled Monday, with the Hang Seng index falling more than 2 percent. Mainland China companies comprise about half of the firms listed on the exchange, according to the latest figures from the CIA World Factbook.

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