Why would a ‘clean cop’ with no debt shoot himself in a public toilet? Beat officer found dead in Siu Sai Wan

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 06 February, 2016

• 
  

The investigation into the young officer’s death is still ongoing, police said. Photo: Edward Wong

A local constable with an unblemished professional record was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head yesterday morning at a public toilet by a market in Siu Sai Wan in Chai Wan district.

He was certified dead at Eastern Hospital at 10.24am.

Police said there was no sign of a scuffle, no suicide note and no clear motive for the 24 year-old to have taken his own life but that circumstantial evidence pointed in this direction.

“We will look into the reasons for his suicide, whether it is work-related or whether it had to do with his private life,” said deputy district commander Ronald Ip Chi-keung.

Ip said the officer had a clean record, was a responsible officer and worked well with colleagues.

Forensic experts at the crime scene today. Photo: Edward Wong

Family members said the beat patrol officer had no financial problems or debts.

Ip said the police are delving deeper into the private affairs of the man, surnamed Chan.

“Nothing suspicious has been discovered so far,” he said.

Chan, who is based at Chai Wan police station, had been on duty in the early hours of this morning and was patrolling the area of Sui Sai Wan with his partner.

He told his partner at 9.50am that he needed to use the toilet. The partner then waited outside as Chan entered the Siu Sai Wan market toilet and locked himself inside a cubicle in the male washroom.

Shortly afterwards, one gunshot was heard by the man’s partner, who rushed inside the toilet, broke the cubicle door, to find Chan with the fatal wound on the right side of his temple but no exit wound on the other side.

In November 2014, an “experienced and well-liked” police inspector from nearby North Point police station committed suicide.

Chief Inspector Andrew Phillips, a policeman for 27 years, shot himself in his office.

Between 2003 and 2010 the suicide rate among officers was 7.8 per 100,000, according to a study by the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention
.