A former soldier working as a security guard Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, in central China, reportedly died after trying to catch a suicidal woman who jumped from the 11th floor of a building on the morning of Dec. 10.

The 43-year-old security guard, only identified by his surname Li, was patrolling around Century Ginwa Shopping Centre on the ground floor on Monday, according to Chinese media, as translated by the Daily Mail.

At around 8:40 a.m., the unidentified woman, believed to be around 30 years old, was heard having an intense argument with someone else inside her apartment.

Li spotted the woman climbing out of her window on the 11th floor of the building. According to the witnesses at the scene, the security guard shouted to the woman to “don’t jump,” but she ignored his warning and proceeded to jump to her death.

Both were pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

Instead of fleeing the area, Li stretched his arms wide in an attempt to catch the falling woman by the sidewalk. But sadly, he ultimately failed as he was crushed to death by the force of the woman’s fall.

“Li was shocked when the woman jumped. Then he stretched out his hands to catch her, only to be knocked to the ground himself,” a witness said, according to China Daily.

Li worked as a security guard for more than five years. He was married and has a 6-year-old daughter. However, his parents, both in their 80s, and daughter reportedly have yet been informed of his death, and that his wife was staying with his relatives at the time.

The retired soldier has been receiving tributes from people all over China, and a Xi’an police investigation into the case is ongoing.

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