Auburn is the latest university campus to experience a tragic murder. Freshman Lauren Burk, 18 of Marietta, Georgia was found injured from a gunshot on North College Street. She was alive but died soon after at the hospital. A few minutes after the call to police about an injured woman, a call went out to the fire department about a car burning in a parking lot at nearby Hinton Field that is the practice field for the university marching band. I think this used to be the main soccer field.
The article states that it was not on the campus, but North College Street is mere feet away from the boundary of the campus. Were it not for the University, Auburn would be a sleepy little southern town with nothing but scenery to impress visitors. North College Street is home to many businesses and during football season is packed with people going to restaurants and bookstores. The whole story isn't out yet, but it is somewhat unbelievable to me that this happened at this particular location without a hundred witnesses.
I don't understand why the best and brightest of our youth fall prey to these senseless crimes. A beautiful young woman, Burk was a pledge for Delta Gamma sorority and was living the dream of almost every 18 year old. She was a student at one of the most energetic and alive campuses in the country, and had her entire life before her.
My thoughts and prayers are with her family tonight.
UPDATE: I have found out more information about this, some of which has not appeared in the papers so I won't pass it on yet.
The section of North College Street where she was found was not adjacent to the campus. It is about five miles from the campus near an intersection with a U.S. highway, so there probably will be few witnesses if any.
Updated FoxNews Story HERE. According to the story, there are some witnesses although I don't think they will ahve seen the actual crime. I know Assistant Chief Dawson, and can tell you that this crime will occupy every minute of the Auburn P.D. until it is resolved. From what I know about the crime, there will probably be an arrest very soon.
And now the breaking news story about the Student Body President at the University of North Carolina being shot to death today. Bad week for college campuses in the media.
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Wednesday, March 05, 2008
A Tragic Event at Auburn University
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7 Posts From Readers:
i will join my thoughts and prayers with yours, robert. this is truly a tragedy and i wish i had an answer to your questions...
How heartbreaking. I cannot imagine what the family, especially the parents must be going through.
You know my drum. I must beat it. What if she'd been armed? Perhaps she'd still be dead, but perhaps not. I don't think 21 is a fair age to require a person to reach to purchase and possess a firearm. If one is an adult (18), living on their own, they ought to have every right of every other adult. Predators don't discriminate, why should the law?
Besides the tragedy which adds to the lunacy of all of the recent College murders, I know this one in particular breaks your heart as it happened at your pride and joy.
You got that right, Ken. From my time in the Marines spend partially in armpits of the world, to my time in law enforcement where I have seen crime and poverty and everything else that is negative about the human condition, there is still the mental line of defense that tells us some places are immune.
Crime happens in my city, although frequently. Crime happens in Auburn, although it is a college town and things like this just don't happen here. It isn't logical, but now there is the thought in the back of my mind that Auburn is no longer pristine and safe.
Not to mention my oldest daughter is 17 and about to graduate high school. As I said, I know the statistics of crime and all of that, but the human part of me falls into that trap sometimes.
Another tragedy that I should have discussed is the murder of the 17 year old young man in California, who was a football genius and who was mere months from rising above the inner-city and going to a major university. All because he was not in a gang.
I can't help but have a lopsided smirk when I think that we get what we deserve.
That should have read "infrequently". In my entire five year residence in Helena, there has not been a single violent crime with the exception of a very few domestic violence incidents.
And she's not the only one. This sad news is breaking in Chapel hill, NC.
"Chapel Hill police said Thursday a woman found shot to death on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the student body president."
Apparently she was the victim of a car jacking, she was 22 years old, a pre med student from Athens, GA. Her name was Eve Carson.
What a waste of a productive, promising life. I hope ya'll will keep Eve's family in your thoughts and prayers also.
Too much tragedy.
I, too, just read about Eve Carson's murder, then came here to check out what was going on on your blog, and read about this one.
There's been too much death in my life this past month, and reading about these young women is too painful.
I'll be back later.
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