The deaths of a woman and a man at an apartment complex on the weekend are believed to be a murder-suicide, police said Monday.
Emergency crews were called at about 7 p.m. Saturday to the highrise complex in the Spruce Cliff community near the Shaganappi Point Golf Course, west of downtown Calgary.
“Several bystanders had located a deceased woman outside of an apartment complex,” Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson of the homicide unit told reporters Monday.
“As first responders were assessing the situation, a man jumped from an upper-level balcony and he, too, was declared deceased on scene.”
The woman has been identified as Joanne Suk-Wah Tse, 69, and the man as 61-year-old De Lin Tang.
Gregson said investigators believe Tang either threw or pushed Tse over the balcony. He confirmed her feet and hands were bound at the time.
An autopsy determined both she and Tang died from blunt-force trauma.
Gregson said police don’t have a lot of information about Tse or Tang before their deaths.
“This event was domestic in nature, however, we believe this was a new relationship and we are still trying to determine the nature of the relationship and the events that led up to this tragic outcome,” he said.
The police force’s Victim Assistance Support Team was at the complex Sunday for those who witnessed the deaths.
“This was one of those events that people are not expected to see and will have a huge impact on people,” Gregson said. “We recognize that many buildings in this area, many people may have witnessed this.
“The fall probably drew attention and people out to their balconies and then a lot of people would have witnessed the second fall.”