Police: 4 University of Idaho students found dead on campus 00:22
Police are investigating the deaths of four University of Idaho students who were found Sunday in a home near campus. Officers with the Moscow Police Department discovered the deaths when they responded to a report of an unconscious person shortly before noon, according to a news release from the city. Police described the deaths as suspicious homicides, which generally means the killing of one person by another, although the term does not necessarily indicate that the death was intended or committed in a criminal manner. Authorities did not release further details, including the cause of death. Police said more information will be released later. “It is with deep sadness that I share with you that the university was informed today of the deaths of four University of Idaho students living off campus who are believed to be victims of homicide,” University of Idaho President Scott Green said in a statement released on Facebook Sunday night. “Out of respect for these fellow Vandals, statewide and online classes are canceled on Monday, November 14.” The university said counselors would be available for students at the campus counseling center, while employees could access help through an employee assistance program. Green urged people to reach out if they are concerned about classmates or co-workers. “An event of this magnitude can reasonably have significant effects on those left behind,” Green wrote. “As Vandals, we must unite and lift each other up.” Green added that the students’ families have been notified and the university “will continue to actively assist law enforcement efforts.” Shortly after the bodies were found, the university advised students to evacuate for about an hour until investigators determined there was no active threat to others in the area. The Moscow Police Department said the investigation is ongoing and asked anyone with information to call the department. Moscow City is a tight-knit college town nestled in the rolling hills of north-central Idaho, about 80 miles southeast of Spokane, Washington. U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson tweeted that he and his wife, Kathy Simpson, send their deepest condolences to the families of the students. “Our hearts ache for your loss,” Simpson wrote. “Today we are all Vandals.” Shortly after the Moscow police investigation into the death was announced, students at the University of Virginia were also told to evacuate after police said a suspect shot fellow students on a bus as they returned from a school trip. The shooting killed three members of the school’s football team and wounded two students. The shooting sparked an intense manhunt Sunday, and authorities announced Monday that a suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., had been arrested.
