Using tear gas inside is dangerous, whatever the reason, experts said. But we found cases where Hong Kong police did just that. In this video, police appear to fire tear gas at protesters after they retreated to a subway station.
Experts say that most tear gas injuries are blunt force trauma caused by a canister, and we found examples of Hong Kong police firing at people, such as freelance filmmaker Ryan Lai being struck in the head. Tear gas is meant to be used at the edge of crowds and below knee-level.
It’s "hugely problematic" that Hong Kong police fired tear gas from above crowds, an expert said, as seen here. “If it hits someone in the head, you could kill them," said Jim Bueermann, former president of the Police Foundation in Washington. “I have never seen that before."