Secretary for Security Chris Tang on Friday praised the swift reaction of two police officers in shooting down a knife-wielding man in Tuen Mun last night. They opened fire after the 34-year-old man had taken a woman passerby hostage, brandishing a 30-centimetre knife he stole from a Tuen Mun Town Plaza store despite repeated warnings from officers to lay it down. The suspected died after being shot in the chest and right shoulder. Speaking on RTHK, Tang said the man was believed to have suffered from mental health issues and, at the time of the incident, had obviously lost his mind. He said officers would try to ascertain whether the man was under the influence of drugs at the time as suspected narcotics were found in his bag. "I would like to thank our frontline officers because it was not easy for them to make the decision to open fire," Tang said. "They were very brave and decisive. This is largely due to their training. "This decision was not easy. But we have to be decisive to save lives – which was to aim at the suspect's largest body part to stop him possibly putting the lives of others in danger when he was about to stab the victim."