Man falls to death at police station

By Wang Huazhong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-19 08:59

A man from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region who allegedly threw himself from a fourth-floor toilet window of a public security bureau building was rich and had no reason to commit suicide, his family says.

The body of Huang Jinshui from Leli township of Tianlin county, was found on the ground outside the Baise city public security bureau in Guangxi on June 14. He was 46.

Sister He Jinfang said police detained Huang at his home at about 3 am that day, Beijing Times reported. He was taken to the public security bureau and questioned about his alleged involvement in an illegal underground casino.

Huang was the legal representative for the Xinxin Video Game Room, which was allegedly a venue for group gambling.

Police said that two days before detaining Huang, officers raided the gaming room and arrested 24 gamblers, 61 gambling game machines and 3 homemade guns.

"It can't be a felony even if he had conducted any crime. He is rich and there is no need for him to commit suicide or break out," Huang's family told the Beijing Times.

Several police officers have been suspended from duty and are now under investigation, according to a press conference held by the bureau on Tuesday.

Police have denied torturing Huang during questioning and said that "external forces" were not involved in the fall. However, the bureau did not give any information about the exact circumstances, including why or when, Huang fell.

On the day of the death, a police officer called Huang's brother, and family members rushed to the bureau, where they were told that body had been transferred to the funeral home, the Beijing Times reported. The family eventually saw Huang's body at 3 pm.

An autopsy was carried out on Huang's body the next day in the presence of family and lawyers.

On Wednesday, police said the autopsy results showed that Huang died from severe damage to his internal organs caused by a fall from a great height. It also showed that Huang was not beaten and that no "external force" was involved in his fall, police said.

On the day of the autopsy, hundreds of disgruntled relatives and friends gathered in front of the public security bureau to protest the police explanation that Huang "jumped through a window and fell", Hong Kong China News Agency reported.

The Beijing Times reported that Huang's off-road BMW X5 was driven, either by Huang or police officer, to the bureau and parked there until the next day.

It is normal procedure for people who are detained by officers to be driven to the public security bureau in a police car.

Three Xinxin Video Game Room managers have been detained and investigations into the company are ongoing.