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Wynna Wong

Fiona Sun

Hong Kong police are investigating an attempted murder and suicide case after a man allegedly attacked his upstairs neighbour with a cleaver in a lift before falling to his death at a public housing block in Wong Tai Sin.
Police said they received a report from a security guard at 7.19am on Saturday that a man was attacking another man inside a lift in Chiu Sin House at Upper Wong Tai Sin Estate.
“When police and paramedics arrived, they found an injured man inside the lift with knife wounds and bleeding,” said Superintendent Christie Lam Yiu, assistant district commander for crime in Wong Tai Sin.
Lam said the victim, 25, was able to provide his address and identify his alleged attacker as the 46-year-old resident of the flat below his own.
He was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei and underwent surgery. The Hospital Authority said on Saturday night that the patient was in a critical condition.
Lam said security camera footage showed the victim entering the lift before the assailant followed him inside from another floor about 20 seconds later.
The assailant immediately pulled an object resembling a cleaver from a bag and attacked the victim, striking his head and upper body, police said.
The number of wounds will be determined after officers obtain a medical report.
Lam said investigators believed the attack was premeditated, adding that the man had brought the cleaver with him in what appeared to be a shopping bag.
The attacker fled after the assault and was believed to have returned to his flat.
Officers later found bloodstains near the lift and outside the suspect’s home.
Firefighters helped police break into the flat after no one answered the door.
Officers found an open window, a pair of bloodstained trainers on the floor and a bloodied cleaver in the kitchen. The bag seen in the footage was also recovered.

Seven minutes after the first report, a man believed to be the assailant was found on an external platform of the building, having apparently fallen from a height.
He showed no signs of life and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the two men lived one floor apart and their households had repeatedly quarrelled over noise.
Officers had handled one report involving the neighbours in November last year, when the suspected attacker went upstairs to complain about noise and confronted the injured man’s sister. Police mediated, and the two sides subsequently left, according to Lam.
Other neighbours told investigators that the households had argued on several other occasions, although police had received no reports about those disputes, he said.
The Housing Department said the deceased had complained to the estate office about noise from a dog kept in the flat above his home, while the upstairs tenant had received approval from the department to keep the animal as a companion pet.
The office immediately followed up on each complaint, including by conducting several surprise inspections, but staff neither heard barking nor found evidence of noise nuisance, according to a department spokeswoman.
It had not received similar complaints from other nearby households.
The department described the deceased as a person with special care needs and said it had previously referred his case to the Social Welfare Department for assessment and follow-up action.
After receiving a recommendation from the welfare department, housing authorities approved his household’s application for a transfer within the estate in June, but were still waiting to be allocated a new flat.
Officers also found a follow-up appointment slip issued to the man by the East Kowloon Psychiatric Centre.
The man had lived with his elderly mother but she had earlier moved into a care home, according to neighbours.
No suicide note was found. Police said they believed the man decided to take his own life after the attack but were investigating whether this had been part of his original plan.
The case has been classified as attempted murder and suicide and assigned to the Wong Tai Sin district crime squad.
The welfare department said its social workers had contacted related family members and would provide appropriate help.
Psychiatrist Dr Ivan Mak Wing-chit said disputes between neighbours over noise were common, especially in densely populated public housing estates.
He said people with mental health conditions such as psychosis, depression and anxiety, as well as those suffering from sleep problems, could be more sensitive to noise.
“If residents notice that the other person is becoming increasingly obsessed, emotionally agitated or even talking about revenge, they should be careful and try their best to avoid direct arguments,” he said.
They could instead seek help through other channels such as the Housing Department or police, he added.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline.
You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services.
In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


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Police believe the attack was premeditated, with neighbours repeatedly quarrelling over noise


Police believe the attack was premeditated, with neighbours repeatedly quarrelling over noise.


Hong Kong society

Crime

Mental health

Hong Kong police

Man falls to death after cleaver attack on neighbour in lift over noise dispute

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Police believe the attack was premeditated, with neighbours repeatedly quarrelling over noise

Police believe the attack was premeditated, with neighbours repeatedly quarrelling over noise