Hong Kong protests: father of student who died after car park fall recalls night son left home dressed in black
- Alex Chow’s last message to his family was ‘close the windows’, after his worried father texted him past midnight on police’s tear gas at nearby protest
- Cause of youth’s death remains unknown, but incident was one of the controversies that erupted during city’s months-long social unrest
But Alex Chow Tsz-lok, carrying a backpack, left in silence without addressing his parents’ concerns, his father Chow Tak-ming recalled, adding the youth’s lack of reaction was consistent with how he had usually interacted with his parents before he was found unconscious at a car park in Tseung Kwan O on November 4, 2019.
The senior Chow testified on Monday at the Coroner’s Court, which is tasked with ascertaining the cause and circumstances of the death of the 22-year-old, after he fell from height while a police clearance operation was under way at a protest scene nearby.
Alex Chow died four days after the fall. He had sustained severe head injuries, with two surgeries unable to save his life.
The court heard that protesters had assembled in the vicinity of Sheung Tak Estate car park and barricaded roads overnight between November 3 and 4, following online calls to gather outside a hotel in the neighbourhood, where an officer was said to be holding a wedding banquet.