University student who died after car park fall near protest may have jumped from height by mistake, Hong Kong court hears
- Police officer raises theory, noting third-floor design of multistorey complex differed from lower floors
- Alex Chow had sustained severe head injuries and died in hospital four days later, with the circumstances of his death still a mystery due to lack of footage
A university student in Hong Kong who died after a fall in a multistorey car park near a protest last year might have jumped from height in the building by mistake, an investigator suggested at an inquest on Monday.
Senior Detective Constable Lam Chi-keung raised the theory that Alex Chow Tsz-lok might have leapt over a small concrete wall on the third floor of the car park in Tseung Kwan O under the misconception he would land on a path behind the wall, instead of plunging four metres down to the level below.
This was in contrast to the opinion of a hospital doctor, who told the Coroner’s Court two weeks ago that the possibility of Chow being attacked and thrown out of the building could not be ruled out.
Chow, a 22-year-old student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, was found lying unconscious inside the Sheung Tak Estate car park in the early morning of November 4, 2019, when police were dispersing anti-government protesters at a nearby demonstration.
He sustained severe head injuries and died in hospital four days later. It remains unclear how he fell, as no security camera was able to capture his actions right before the mishap.