Man jumps 8 floors to his death

Laura Maposa

A 63-year-old man reportedly jumped to his death from the eighth floor of a local hotel yesterday morning.

The man identified as David Howard Bookless, 63, suffered a fracture on his right hand, left leg and bruises on the face.

David was found with car keys and US$36 in his pockets.

National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the incident.

“The ZRP is investigating the circumstances in which a 63-year-old man jumped to his death from a local hotel’s eighth floor on January 12 at 8.30am. More details will be revealed in due course,” he said.

However, sources said David was not booked at the hotel.

Hotel officials declined to comment on the alleged suicide committed on their premises.

But witnesses gave different versions of the incident.

One Makande said they heard a loud thud on the ground.

“The incident happened at around 8:30am and l was just setting my market place.

“I heard a very loud sound and l went to check what it was, and that’s when l saw the man lying on the ground bleeding, with one foot missing,” he said.

Makande said people later gathered at the scene.

“People started to crowd around and one lady saw that the broken missing foot was a few metres away from the lifeless body.

“The police later came and attended the scene and removed the body,” he said.

Another witness said he did not see any open window.

“We did not see the open window from which he jumped. All the windows were closed,” he said.

Fortunate Mhakana, a street vendor, said: “I saw someone closing the window from which the victim jumped from. It seems he was pushed from the window.”