A three-year-old boy dropped from the sixth floor by his father during a hostage situation remains in a critical condition.

The shocking event unfolded on the night of 19 July at a block of flats in Berea following an altercation between the child’s parents.

Sergeant Mduduzi Zondo, spokesperson for Hillbrow Police Station, said during the heated argument the father allegedly stabbed his wife in the stomach. “The woman then managed to escape from the flat and was rushed to hospital but soon after that the man took the child hostage.”

The child was held captive for about eight hours and in the early hours of 20 July, the father threw the child over the balcony, resulting in the infant being critically injured. The man then jumped from the balcony and plunged to his death.

“The injured child was then rushed to the hospital where he remains in a critical condition at this stage,” said Zondo.

He confirmed that police were investigating the matter and that there would be an inquest into the death of the man.

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Update: Perpetrator throws baby over balcony then jumps