Grandfather, 68, jumps to death holding baby grandson in Hong Kong murder-suicide
Man, 68, had 13-month-old grandson in his arms when they tumbled
PUBLISHED : Monday, 23 February, 2015, 3:27pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 24 February, 2015, 1:32pm
Samuel Chan [email protected]
Firefighters arrive at the scene after the elderly man carrying a baby jumped from the apartment building. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A 68-year-old grandfather and his 13-month-old grandson were killed on Monday when the man jumped from a 13th-floor flat in Kowloon with the baby in his arms.
Chief Inspector Tam Wai-shun, of Sau Mau Ping district, said both were unconscious when paramedics arrived at the scene at Choi Yee House on the Choi Tak Estate in Choi Hung. They were taken to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong where they were certified dead.
Police are treating the case as suicide and murder.
"Our initial investigations found [the neighbours] heard no argument from the flat [before the incident]," Tam said. He added that the man had no history of mental illness and his family of five had no record of domestic violence.
Asked if the grandfather had ever attempted to commit suicide in the past, Tam said: "We are still investigating this, but he did tell his family this morning that he had thought of committing suicide."
The grandfather used to be a bar bender but had been unemployed for a year, he added.
The grandfather and the baby tumbled from the living room window of their 13th-floor flat while the man's wife was cooking in the kitchen. The child's father, who is believed to be a casual construction worker, was in the bedroom at the time and his wife was at work.
Police are investigating if the grandfather was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and whether he may have thrown his grandson down first before jumping himself.
Emergency personnel and paramedics from the fire services found the man lying on the terrace above the building's ground-floor entrance while the baby was found about 10 metres away on a podium on the estate's badminton court.
Susan So Suk-yin, director of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, said the tragedy highlighted the importance of not ignoring even mentions of suicidal thoughts.
"Even if it's just a mere mention of suicidal thoughts, one must treat it seriously as this is not something that will go away after a brief chat," she said, adding that a psychiatrist's intervention was necessary.
Individuals with known suicidal tendencies should not be left alone with children, she advised, as their volatile emotions were likely to affect their judgment at critical times.
