A female student is dead Tuesday after an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said.
Temple police responded to the Liacouras Center garage around 5:20 p.m. and found a female student with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on the fourth floor. Leone said she was pronounced dead at the scene and police have recovered a gun.
A TU Alert was issued at 6:03 p.m., and a follow-up alert was sent at 6:29 p.m. with additional information.
Police were still on location investigating around 6:30 p.m., Leone said.
Sean Carlin can be reached at sean.carlin@temple.edu or on Twitter @SeanCarlin84.
A very sad affair. I’m from the Temple U, Japan campus and got the alert. My heart goes out to their family and friends.
Yesterday afternoon, the light of another individual went out, for reasons unknown.
This light went out in the shadows of a parking garage. Alone, in the recesses of a cold, cement parking garage.
Today, it’s business as usual. The matter-of-fact notice, the alert, of a life having left this world is not spoken. There are no announcements that staff is available should students or staff even be having difficulties financially, academically, if they are experiencing holiday despair, relationship difficulties, personal difficulties or if they are being bullied …
April 12th this year USA Today published an article about student suicide being all too common:
http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campus-beat/student-suicide-too-common-on-college-campuses-across-the-country
Last night, when I read the Temple “alert” it was the second time I was “taken-aback” by a position, the byline of a person taking their own life on campus, or anywhere for that matter. The first time was when a young man ended his on Liacouras Walk – a response was quick that it was not a Temple student … does it matter? By the makeup of our humanity, we are all in this together.
What as a public research university, do we do about that?
Sunday, when on campus, I sometimes see people walk into the Temple Baptist Church. Will this young woman be remembered? Or the young man before her? Or the countless, named and nameless others whose life is cast into the shadows, this is Temple, isn’t it?
I want to believe, and I still believe. Being aware of the shadows, having walked through hell many times, too many times, I believe in the goodness of the human soul that sometimes seems like it’s being replaced what, I don’t know.
There is HEART, isn’t there? Or are we at “clear” and the paddles to jolt us back are at-hand?
Maybe I don’t understand. Maybe I’m old, my thinking getting fuzzy, and this is the way things are done now. Mmmmm, no, I don’t think so. People do still care … I know they do. I’ve spoken with other people who also care. I care. I see efforts of others who care, in this season, and at other times.
I believe in a force, an energy, a universal causality greater than we are. I know many others do too.
We can’t possibly be the pinnacle, what a cosmic joke that would be.
How about Templars show what it really is and means to be “Temple Made” by demonstrating regard other than a byline of an extinguishing of a life.
And PLEASE whoever you are, where ever you are … please don’t give up … ever ….
In life, you will fall. And when you fall, wings will be there to catch you … don’t forget.
Reach out and don’t stop reaching out until someone finally hears you and helps you. This way you can go on to do your work, you can go on to return the favor by helping others in their times of darkness.
Rascal Flatts sometimes helps …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fqPcnuVPR8
Enter the choir … awaken the Temple.
(: