A 47-year-old male mainlander died yesterday morning after an argument which deteriorated into a brawl with two compatriots in a residential unit used as an illegal inn in Taipa, the Judiciary Police (PJ) said in a statement yesterday.
The statement said that based on a preliminary investigation into the case PJ officers have ruled out homicide as the cause of death.
The two other men were also injured during the brawl and taken to the public Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre for outpatient treatment, the statement said.
According to the Public Security Police (PSP), the fatality was the owner of the illegal inn while the other two men were staying there as guests.
Addressing a press conference, PJ spokesman Choi Ian Fai said that the man’s exact cause of death could only be determined after an official autopsy had been performed. Choi also said that the other two men involved in the fight had been taken to the PJ headquarters for questioning.
At 7:30 a.m. yesterday, PSP officers notified the Judiciary Police of an alleged case of assault in a flat at the Harvest Palace residential building in Rua de Évora and transferred the case to PJ officers for further investigation, according to the PJ statement. Harvest Palace is located near Flower City Garden.
The three injured males were taken to the public Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre for treatment. One of the three males, surnamed Luo, was pronounced dead at the hospital at 8:08 a.m. after emergency treatment to save his life had failed, the PJ statement said.
PJ officers later confirmed that the residential unit was used as an illegal inn, where Luo had a heated argument with the other two men, the PJ statement said, adding that Luo allegedly attacked the two men with a sharp object, during which one of the duo called the emergency services.
The statement did not say what caused the argument.
According to the PJ statement, paramedics rushed to the flat where they confirmed that Luo was “unwell”. He was rushed to the public hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A preliminary examination of Luo’s corpse by a pathologist showed that he had suffered cuts to his right hand between the thumb and the index finger, as well as abrasions on the right side of his face and the right side of his neck, the PJ statement, adding that no other wounds were found on him. PJ officers have provisionally ruled out homicide as the likely cause of death, the statement said, adding that the exact cause of Luo’s death was to be determined by a postmortem.
According to the PJ statement, the two other men each sustained cuts to the right palm, left chest and right shoulder.
The Fire Services Bureau (CB) yesterday identified the two injured guests in the illegal inn on the sixth floor of Harvest Palace as a 25-year-old and a 35-year-old.
The Public Security Police told the media yesterday that the deceased had drunk alcoholic beverages before the incident.
During yesterday’s regular press conference, Choi said that the deceased had an argument with the two guests which deteriorated into the fatal brawl. Choi said there was no indication that the brawl was triggered by a financial dispute.
Choi noted that the Judiciary Police have notified the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) of the existence of the illegal inn.
Choi also said that while Luo sustained cuts on his right hand, the pathologist believed that the cuts had not caused his death.
Illegal inns as possible crime venues have become a hot-button issue. On January 6, a woman sleeping in the kitchen of an illegal inn in Nape died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The kitchen had been converted into a bedroom.
The government is studying the legal ramifications of criminalising the illegal provision of accommodation. Currently, the operation of an illegal inn is merely an administrative breach.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers investigating yesterday’s fatal incident at an illegal inn in the Harvest Palace residential building in Taipa. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN OUR PRINT EDITION.
