Elderly man shot dead by police after knife confrontation in Guangzhou, China

GUANGZHOU, CHINA: An elderly man was shot dead by police in Guangzhou’s Liwan District on 19th November after allegedly brandishing a knife in a public space.

Eyewitnesses and circulating videos suggest the fatal confrontation unfolded outside a card room on Xihua Road.

According to witness accounts, the elderly man was observed swinging a knife at passersby and police officers, prompting a tense standoff.

Police officers reportedly fired three shots during the incident, with one bystander heard shouting “Shoot him!” in Cantonese.

Following the gunfire, the man appeared to collapse at the scene.

Footage captured by local residents shows the elderly individual, described as slender with long grey hair and wearing a shirt, visibly agitated as he faced at least four police officers.

At one point, he was seen sitting on the ground holding the knife before standing up and shouting at the officers, who then opened fire.

11月19日，广州西华路。爆棚棋牌馆门口，一名老人试图持刀袭警，随后被警察开枪击毙。https://t.co/80l4zzoXed

— 克里斯汀 (@jholow9) November 19, 2024

After the incident, the area was cordoned off, and the man was covered with a blue cloth before being transported on a stretcher under police supervision.

Emergency services, including an ambulance and several police vehicles, were present on standby throughout the unfolding situation.

Authorities remain silent on Guangzhou shooting, while social media content faces heavy censorship

As of now, no official statement has been issued by local authorities regarding the tragic incident.

Content related to the incident on Chinese social media has reportedly been censored, and The Paper, a local news outlet, initially reported the event before retracting the article.

China’s authorities have reportedly been tightening security in public spaces and actively censoring online content related to indiscriminate attacks following a surge in mass incidents over the past three months.

The latest attack occurred on Tuesday (19 November), when a car struck primary school students arriving for classes, leaving several injured.

On 11 November, a deadly incident in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, saw a driver ram his car into a crowd at a sports centre, killing 35 people and injuring 43 others.

In a separate attack on 16 November 2024, a knife assault at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Jiangsu province resulted in eight deaths and 17 injuries.

While Chinese authorities prioritise stability and control, critics argue that pervasive censorship may contribute to social isolation and restrict opportunities for addressing grievances.