Man found dead at Columbia park was USC student, coroner says
A man found dead in Maxcy Gregg Park on Thursday was a student at the University of South Carolina.
The body of the 20-year-old, was found in the Blossom Street park near Five Points and USC around 8:30 a.m., Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said.
The cause of the death was an apparent suicide, the coroner said.
“Our hearts go out to his friends and family, and we as a campus community will be there to support those who need helps in difficult times,” said USC President Bob Caslen. “The University of South Carolina makes the mental health and wellbeing of our community a priority. We have counselors and resources available for all those experiencing distress.”
This is the third USC student reported to have died of an apparent suicide in 2019.
In August, shortly after the beginning of the school year a student died in a residence at USC’s Greek Village in an apparent suicide, causing police to close roads into the area where many fraternity and sorority members live . At the time, Caslen put out a statement at the time calling for students to use the campus’ mental health resources when they feel they need them.
In March, a student died of suicide in a parking garage near the university’s athletics village.
A large presence of Columbia police were called to the park early Thursday morning to assist in the investigation. The police and the coroner’s office are continuing to investigate the circumstances around the death, along with USC campus police.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy did we report on suicide?
Discussion of suicide can be difficult, especially for people who may already be thinking of harming themselves. As a general practice, The State does not report on suicides unless they involve prominent individuals or occur in public places. In the case of this story, we felt the incident warranted fact-based reporting accessible to members of our community.
The State generally does not identify individuals who die by suicide unless it is a public figure.
The State maintains rigorous standards when reporting on public health issues like suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255, or calling or texting 988, or texting HOME to 741741.
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 1:18 PM.
.jpg)