Capilano bridge death shocks student's friends

Friends of an American high school student who fell to his death from a viewing platform at the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver say they're in a state of shock.  

Neither school officials nor police would release his name, but friends say he's Daniel Cho, a 17-year-old student from Aragon High School in San Mateo, in California's San Francisco Bay area.

Cho was a member of a group of music students and teachers visiting Vancouver as part of an exchange with a high school.

Matt Biggar, the associate superintendent of the San Mateo Union High School District, said the news of Sunday's death has hit the school hard.

"We're all very sad. And first and foremost, our condolences and thoughts are with the family of the student and with the whole Aragon community," he said.

Fellow student Will Randick said Cho was a good student and an athlete, with a second-degree black belt in taekwondo.

"He was a really funny guy, and everybody got along with him," said Randick.

Reasons for fall remain unclear

RCMP investigators have yet to release any information about how or why Cho may have fallen 30 metres to his death from the platform, which is surrounded by a sturdy 1.2-metre-high railing.

Police have been speaking with Cho's parents, his friends and classmates, and reviewing video footage from the scene, according to Const Michael McLaughlin.

"This was not something that would have been easy to get over. We have determined that the boy who went to his death did go over or around that railing," said McLaughlin.

But police have ruled out any safety concerns with the structure or the conditions at the popular tourist attraction at the time of the incident, he said.

"We have no indications that weather or slippery conditions played a direct role in what happened last night. None whatsoever," said McLaughlin on Monday afternoon.

"I think it's important for people to realize that coming to any outdoor location where there is an element of heights, they've got to make very sure that they obey any warning signs and stay behind the railings. That's what will keep them safe," he said.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, but the results of toxicology tests could take as long as six weeks.