Andrew Nguyen Doan attended the School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine from 2017 to 2019.
Trigger warning: The content ahead contains descriptions of suicide, mental health challenges, and murder, that some readers may find distressing.
A former University of California, Irvine student reportedly hurled his mother from a school building before jumping to his own death. Authorities identified the victims of the murder-suicide as 36-year-old Andrew Nguyen Doan, and his 77-year-old mother, Thao Thai Nguyen, per PEOPLE. The bodies were found at around 4 o'clock, Tuesday by the Social Science Plaza on the ground. "The investigation has determined Doan picked up Nguyen and threw her off the landing of a multi-story building," the Irvine Police Department said in a press release. "Doan then jumped from the same landing to his death."
Doan attended the School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine from 2017 to 2019, but he did not graduate, according to a school representative. The Daily Pilot stated that a mother and son shared a home in Irvine.
Police stated that they are still looking into the motivation. Officers had numerous previous encounters with the former pupil. "The last call for service involving mental health concerns was in 2019," the department said. "We believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no known danger to the community."
Three flower bouquets and a few handwritten notes of sympathy sit in a plaza at UC Irvine on Thursday afternoon, two days after an apparent murder-suicide left an elderly woman and her son dead. More details @ocregister pic.twitter.com/hNQfFsq9Sd
— Mark Evans (@markevans_ap) December 15, 2022
Following the incident, Chancellor Howard Gillman issued a written statement. "It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death on the campus of two individuals this afternoon. We are still gathering information about who the victims are and exactly what happened, but law enforcement has informed us that there is no ongoing danger to our community," he wrote.
"Preliminary information does suggest the possibility that at least one death occurred at the hands of another. Under such circumstances, the City of Irvine Police will be leading the investigation and will be responsible for updating our community on its progress. Of course, the university will be fully cooperating with these efforts," he wrote, adding that the institution is "fully cooperating" with police as they look into the incident.
There was a murder-suicide on campus yesterday and the UCI Counseling Center is having a staff retreat today. I called to get some resources and learned no one is available to meet with students or staff (but they’ll be back in the office tomorrow!).
— Kristin Turney (@kristinturney) December 14, 2022
Do better, @UCIrvine.
The chancellor added a message for people who would require help during the difficult period. "To all members of our UCI community: If you need support, please know that UCI has resources for students, faculty, and staff."
"At such a time, our primary thoughts are with the victims and their families," Gillman added. "But there are also members of the UCI community who have been contacted to assist with the investigation and to share their knowledge of what may have happened." Gillman then urged people to contact the UCI Police Department if they have "witnessed or have any information about the incident." "The officers there will connect you with the appropriate investigator from the Irvine Police Department," he noted.
References:
https://people.com/crime/former-uc-irving-student-mother-murder-suicide/
https://chancellor.uci.edu/communications/campus/2022/221213-incident.php
Representational Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Milan Markovic
