By: Daiyu Tang
– Trigger Warning – Semi-Graphic image of Death –
Dear reader, disturbing reports have come to us at the Observer regarding a potential incident involving a Hathian resident and a Hathian Police Department officer.
Incident Summary
It appears that a man, subsequently identified as Maddox Martin died, after a fall from the under construction (abandoned?) tower opposite the Hathian General Hospital (‘HGH’).
We don’t have the full details at the Observer, having to piece together a variety of sources including grainy CCTV footage, identification of individuals via different primary and secondary sources and then interviews with various bystanders and, of course, a statement from the HPD. (of course not that one!)
Maddox Martin, has appeared in this newspaper only on a handful of occasions. This has included his protesting against the Hathian Fight Night. Meanwhile, the HPD Officer identified as part of this incident, Angelique de Vacluse has not appeared at all in the newspaper, at least with her real name, we had to dig it out. My colleague Aithne has however seen her in one of her small walkaround articles here. It’s perfectly possible she’s appeared elsewhere but we’ve just not picked up on her.
So… So far, so Hathian. A Man and a Woman. A Badge and a Non-Badge. What, would you expect to happen dear reader?
Bet you didn’t expect that photo, did you? Don’t act all surprised… But I know now that you’ll read on for a little more…
Incident Report
So we know that someone died and we have a photo that rather suggests that someone near the scene was able to take a shot, edit it and then send it to the Observer. What does that tell you? That there are shenanigans dear reader. Likely shenanigans!
So, let’s start with what we were able to glean from a little file that was slipped our way and try and piece together the landing, the fall and most importantly, what happened first. Now disclaimer, you’ll need to trust the doctors on this one. Yours truly, did not, promise, get her hands on the body itself.
Date of Death: Sunday 18/05/2025
Time of Pronouncement: 14:25
Findings:
- One penetrating GSW to the upper left arm (non-lethal).
- One penetrating GSW to the abdomen, suggestive of damage to internal organs.
- One penetrating GSW to the thoracic cavity, directly involving the heart (lethal).
- Multiple skeletal fractures consistent with a fall from significant height (5th floor). Injuries include bilateral femur fractures, pelvic fractures, and cranial impact trauma.
- Death was instantaneous upon ground impact although findings suggest deceased was still alive at the time of falling, though the cardiac wound would have resulted in rapid fatality regardless.
It’s not hard to believe dear reader that the fall killed him, but working backwards it appeared that he was shot prior to the fall, including a lethal centre mass kill. So what caused our HPD officer to take this man out? It should be noted that a little birdy told us she also appeared in the wars, with blunt force trauma to the head, extensive bruising and a GSW to the lower abdomen. Let’s delve deeper…
The photo left, taken from surveillance cameras has been enhanced (see below) and we can clearly see on the top floor the officer crouched by the edge with the body of Maddox at the base.
Once we had ascertained that there appeared to be no other figures visible in this part of the CCTV we had to go and do a little ‘Crime Scene Investigation’ ourselves, not that I claim to be of any particular excellence at this, but when an HPD officer is involved, it is always best to try and check things.
Snatched images from old systems, without sound show some form of altercation that led to the officer being knocked down, although it appears in the course of being thrown down she may well at this point have shot Maddox as dried blood attests to an injury at the point we see her on CCTV.
It appears that he did not stay after being shot and possibly after having her in his power, but instead fled further into the construction site. Why was she alone? Did she call for back-up? Answers the CCTV did not reveal and HPD seemed unlikely to answer…
Bang Bang – She Shot Me Down
A ballet of sorts appeared to occur on the roof. The officer and the suspect (it cannot be said that he was a civilian now as he did appear to pull some sort of weapon on her) danced, a ghostly, twisted dance across the roof, behind beams and piles of construction equipment. Sometimes they appeared to be talking, or shouting, but of course I could only imagine words, but still there was perhaps some kind of speech. It didn’t feel like just a ‘Put your hands up!’ kinda talk.
It was a violent ballet. Shots, puffs of smoke and bullets finding their mark. He, already bleeding, fell, then somehow she was falling and the two figures, looking crumpled were on the ground. But perhaps HPD training means something for despite a wound, she fired again and this time, the fatal shot was delivered.
RIP Maddox…
There was something reader… as the injured officer crawled over to the edge in the photo above she was saying something and while we cannot be sure what it was but it was long and there was meaning to it. Perhaps she will tell us, if we can get past Atsuko’s wall of silence that normally exists.
A Witness
Dear reader, would you poke a corpse with a stick? Would you, just to see if it was alive? It appears that our witness, who we managed to track down did.
Olivia, who asked that we not use her last spoke to us after being tracked down to Lou’s.
Observer: “Can you tell us what happened?”
Olivia: “I was walking along, trying to clear my head, my usual route past the hospital when… crunch splat squish… I followed the noise and there he was… dead. I mean I checked he was dead, the noises were certainly impact noises. I’d not have noticed him otherwise. He was dead…”
Well, that tallied with the CCTV, although her ‘checking’ was perhaps sanitised from reality of ‘poking him with a stick’.
Olivia: “I phoned 911 and spoke to Vindaloo… That’s a strange guy. Anyway, while talking to him he suggested I check the wallet for ID. I did, noted his name. From above came Angelique’s voice, telling me not to touch anything, it was a crime scene. Too late, I didn’t know anyone was up there, it must have taken time for her to get over to the side to look down. Vindaloo said people were on their way. Angelique came down, she’d been shot. I’m guessing GSW to the shoulder. We waited, we were directly opposite the hospital. No one turned up. No cops. No ambulance. No one. I sent Angelique to the what’s the American word for A&E… ER? She went before she lost any more blood. I stayed with the body for an hour. Still no one showed. I went home then… It was sad, next day, no body, sand over the blood. It looked like a clean fall from the top, no pushing or throwing, his body was the right distance from the building for a fall from a shooting. I was a cop back in England, got used to dead bodies and placements from falls…
He Hit The Ground
So dear reader, have you stayed with me? This death, which like all deaths in Hathian is a tragedy has a greater story behind it. What caused these two to dance to a death on the roof? What then caused the photo above to be sent to the Observer? Could it be by the officer, but that would make little sense? Who was this man?
I invite readers who might know Maddox, or indeed invite the HPD to provide more context and colour on this story. Of course, our request for a statement is with them, but if it hadn’t been for the information we gathered under our own steam, this death would likely have been just that… a ‘criminal’ running and then falling in a gunfight, with just the messy end, slightly elevating this over other crimes. But I know there’s more, so please… come and talk to your Observer staff… What happened?
We have not been able to find next of kin via street questions, so if you see this article (and apologies if it offends you but are a relative, or someone who can identify one, please do reach out so we can carry a proper memorial… Hathian never remembers its dead well enough…
$ reward offered for insight into the case.
