Family and friends of a young boy killed after he fell 28 floors from a Beltline building are trying to come to terms with his death.
Although his family was too distraught to talk to Metro, a family friend said Samuel Bete, 9, who on Tuesday afternoon plummeted from the balcony, was his parents’ only child.
“They are in shock, they can’t really believe this is happening and they are having trouble accepting it. It’s so very sad,” Shimeles Kebede said.
“They are too distraught, upset. I don’t know what else to say.”
Police say the tragedy appears to be accidental in nature. Investigators say they believe the boy leaned over too far when he fell from the Bromley Square apartment building at 10th Avenue and 1st Street SW in front of horrified witnesses.
Police say they continue to investigate and are looking into whether the child stepped onto anything on the balcony when he fell.
The victim assistance unit is continuing to offer support to the family and others affected by the tragedy.
