Tao Hsiao, a Chinese man, apparently jumped to his death in a shopping mall in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, located in eastern China.
Tao apparently was angry that he had to continue escorting his girlfriend around in a shopping mall, according to the Daily Mail, citing local Chinese reports.
Tao and his girlfriend, who was not identified, shopped for about five hours before he got sick of it and said they should go home.
He then dropped his bags on the floor and climbed over the balcony and jumped from seven stories up to his death.
“He told her she already had enough shoes, more shoes that she could wear in a lifetime and it was pointless buying any more,” one witness was quoted as saying.
The witness continued: “She started shouting at him accusing him of being a skinflint and of spoiling Christmas, it was a really heated argument.”
After the two stopped yelling at each other, Tao then jumped, the witness said.
Tao reportedly smashed through Christmas decorations in the mall before he hit the ground, causing shoppers to disperse out of fear.
“He actually landed on one of the stalls below and then fell to the floor so although the store was damaged it meant he didn’t hit anybody,” a spokesperson with the shopping mall said.
The spokesperson said his body was removed quickly, adding: “This is a tragic incident, but this time of year can be very stressful for many people.”
According to CQ News, the man also smashed through a counter.
Local Chinese broadcaster Aboluowang.com reported that the incident took place on Dec. 7 at around 4 p.m. local time.
Photos uploaded to CQ show the man’s body on the floor with scattered debris while a crowd of people are gathered around.
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