The Edmonton Police Service says it is investigating the death of a five-year-old boy after he fell from an apartment building last week.
Police said at about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2, the boy “fell from a rooftop” in the area of 121 Street and 101 Avenue.
“The focus of the investigation is to understand the events that led up to the tragedy,” police said in a news release issued Monday.
“No further information is available at this time.”
Residents of the Pinnacle apartment building where the incident occurred spoke to Global News on the weekend and said they are mourning the child’s death.
Residents told Global News that at around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the boy unlocked a screen door, climbed over his 21st-floor apartment balcony railing and fell to his death. He landed on the rooftop of a commercial business that is connected to the building.
It was not immediately clear why the accounts provided by residents different from the one provided by police.
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Residents who know the family told Global News the boy has two siblings, and that the mother and father were home when it happened.
Hazelview Properties manages the building and sent out a letter to residents offering counselling and expressing condolences to the family and residents.
Colleen Krempulec, the head of communications at Hazelview, said the company is giving space to the family to grieve. She added that the building has not found any issues with the balcony.
“All our balconies meet all the safety requirements and meet the building code requirements,” Krempulec said. “We haven’t been given any indication to believe that the incident was a result of any structural issues. So beyond that, I don’t want to speculate what may be the results of the police investigation.”
The community has been invited to mourn the child’s death with the family at the Ethiopian Community Association on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
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