Protesters and police faced off again on Tuesday too in and around several university campuses as classes were cancelled. Recent weeks have been marked by escalating protests by both protesters and pro-Beijing supporters on the other side.
The Hong Kong hospital authority said both were in critical condition. Video of another incident showed a policeman on a motorcycle riding through a group of protesters in an apparent attempt to disperse them.
One of their demands is for the government to stop labeling the demonstrators as rioters, which connotes that even peaceful protest is a criminal activity.
Protestors other demands are for democratic changes in Hong Kong's government, criminal charges to be dropped against protesters and for police actions against the protesters to be independently investigated.
In Washington, the US government said it is watching the situation with "grave concern." "We condemn violence on all sides, extend our sympathies to victims of violence regardless of their political inclinations, and call for all parties — police and protestors — to exercise restraint," State Department said in a statement.
In a widely distributed video of the shooting, an officer shooed away a group of protesters near an intersection, then drew his gun on a protester who approached him. It was the second police shooting of a protester since the demonstrations began, although police have repeatedly drawn firearms to ward off attacks.
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