Two Tampa Bay university campuses are in shock after two student deaths since Friday.
In the first, on Friday, a student at the University of South Florida fell to their death from the Richard A. Beard Parking Garage on the Tampa campus.
The death prompted an outpouring of concern about student mental health. USF officials arranged to provide counseling for any students who needed it.
“What we typically do in those kinds of small group sessions is really help students understand whatever their response is via immediate or even over the next several days that’s really to be expected in response to some kind of incident like what happened on the Tampa campus,” said Dr. Scott Strader, a licensed psychologist and director of the Counseling Center on campus.
A memorial was soon placed in the same area where this incident occurred, with students and others leaving flowers.
It is at least the second death at the multi-story garage, where a student fell to his death in 2019. A Change.org petition has already been started to demand safer conditions at the garage that would prevent such occurrences. More than 1,200 people signed it by late Monday afternoon.
September is Suicide Prevention Month. If you or a loved one are dealing with any mental health issues call or text 988 to reach the suicide prevention hotline.
In the second incident, a 19-year-old University of Tampa student was shot to death after trying to get into a car that was not his late at night.
Police said UT student Carson Senfield was shot near Riverfront Park early Saturday morning. Senfield had taken an Uber home after hanging out with friends when he tried to get into a nearby parked car. The car was already occupied, and the driver, who did not know Senfield or why he was trying to get into his car, shot the student in the upper body.
Police said Senfield died at the scene.
World halts as Queen Elizabeth II laid to rest
Billions worldwide Monday mourned the loss of Britain’s longest monarch to reign over the country, Queen Elizabeth II, as she was laid to rest
The first of the funeral events began at 11 o’clock this morning, and London was brought to a standstill. Streets were blocked by the flocks of people, holding flowers and grieving over the loss of their beloved queen.
Thousands upon thousands were lined up to follow the queen’s carriage 25 miles to the St. George Chapel, where she was buried. Around 3 o’clock this afternoon, her coffin was lowered into the vault at Windsor Castle, and after that was an intimate family and friends service at her home in Westminster Abbey.
3 arrested in human trafficking investigation
Three men, including a Pinellas Park fire lieutenant, have been arrested as part of a human trafficking probe that started a week ago.
“Human Trafficking Squad detectives began an undercover operation within parts of Hillsborough County. Their goal was to identify individuals that exploit children for commercial sexual acts,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Deputies arrested Jay Saxe, 33, the owner of a Kona Ice in Lakeland; Brian Streeter, 50, a lieutenant with the Pinellas Park Fire Department; and Martial Boutchueng Djidjou, 44, who is a researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center. All three were arrested after traveling to meet or arranging to meet someone they thought was a teen prostitute for sex, deputies said.
“While these men may be trying to hide their disgusting life choices in the shadows of our community, our detectives are the beacon of light,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister in the news release. “Our detectives will continue to track down anyone participating in this vile behavior and make sure they are held accountable.”
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