Miaoli: A 40-year-old man who threatened people with a knife at a traditional market in Miaoli was fatally shot by police after stabbing an officer in the head, authorities said.

According to Focus Taiwan, the Miaoli County Police Bureau's Miaoli Precinct issued a statement indicating that one of its officers fired two shots in self-defense and in defense of the public.

One of the shots hit the suspect, surnamed Chung, in the chest, while the other struck the left hand of a bystander who had come forward to offer assistance, the department said. A vendor at Nan Miao Market in Miaoli City, surnamed Huang, recounted that Chung had arrived at the market around 7:30 a.m., requesting to borrow his wife's phone. When denied, Chung brandished a knife and began making threats.

Police were called to the scene and attempted to negotiate with Chung, ordering him to put down the knife. When Chung refused, an officer used pepper spray, leading to a more erratic behavior from Chung. According to Huang, an officer, surnamed Chu, tried to apprehend Chung and was stabbed twice in the head.

As bystanders attempted to intervene, another officer, surnamed Lee, fired two shots at Chung and restrained him. The Miaoli Fire Bureau reported that Chung, Officer Chu, and a bystander surnamed Luo, who was struck by a stray bullet, were taken to local hospitals.

Miaoli Hospital stated that Officer Chu sustained stab wounds, lost a significant amount of blood, and required stitches and a blood transfusion. A CT scan revealed a skull fracture, and he remains in the ICU with stable vital signs. Chung underwent emergency surgery for chest and abdomen wounds but later died, according to the Miaoli District Prosecutors office.

A preliminary police investigation revealed that Chung had previously operated a market stall in nearby Houlong Township and had a criminal record, including convictions for attempted murder. ET Today reported that Chung had a history of mental illness, drug, and alcohol abuse, and had been institutionalized multiple times since 2005. In 2018, he was sentenced to three years of compulsory care after attacking a fellow patient with a sickle.