According to information from witnesses, the working group of the Traffic Police of Tuyen Quang City, while on duty, had an argument with a young man, then a gunshot rang out, and the young man fell onto the street.

A young man was injured in the head after being suppressed by a police officer using a rubber bullet gun - Photo cut from clip

On July 2, Tuyen Quang Provincial Police announced that they had initial results of verifying the case of a traffic police officer of Tuyen Quang City Police using a rubber bullet gun to shoot a young man in the head, injuring him.

The reason is that this young man showed signs of resistance, endangering the officers on duty.

Earlier that morning, a video was posted on several social media sites showing a young man injured after arguing with a traffic police officer. According to the footage, the man was injured in the head, possibly from a gunshot wound.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre over the phone, Colonel Pham Van Giap, deputy director of Tuyen Quang Provincial Police, said the incident happened on June 30.

According to the verification results, the police officer of the Traffic Police Team of Tuyen Quang City Police used a rubber bullet gun to suppress the protester, injuring him, not a military weapon as reported on some social networking sites.

The incident occurred when the police team spotted a man violating traffic laws and signaled him to stop for inspection. However, the man said he had borrowed the car and called the owner out.

The car owner, a young man, came out to take the car home instead of letting the working group work and showed many signs of resistance.

"According to the verification results, the young man bit the police officer's hand, so the task force had to use professional measures to suppress him," Mr. Giap said.

According to Mr. Giap, Tuyen Quang Provincial Police have asked soldiers who shot rubber bullets at protesters to write a report and temporarily not assign them to work outside, and to coordinate with the investigation agency to clarify the incident.

“The provincial police board will specifically investigate the extent of the incident and whether the officers and soldiers have properly exercised their powers. The suppression of protesters is correct, but the extent of the suppression must be clarified. If there are any violations, they will be dealt with,” Mr. Giap affirmed.

The young man with a head injury was taken to hospital for treatment. According to information from Tuyen Quang Provincial Police, the injury is not life-threatening.

According to TTO