An Ohio State University student who was a fierce supporter of the rights of students to carry firearms on campus was mysteriously shot dead near the school Thursday, authorities say.
Tarak Andrew Underiner, a 20-year-old Spanish and marketing major, was found dead in a house by Columbus police who responded to a report of a shooting.
Investigators do not believe the killing was "random," according to a police report obtained by The Lantern, Ohio State’s student newspaper. Nor do they believe it was connected to the school.
The Columbus Dispatch reports one of Underiner’s roommates in a house they shared near campus called 911 and said: "My friend has been shot. In my residence, in his room. I'm freaking out."
The roommate told police he had heard someone run from the home shortly after the gunfire.
Investigators found a hunk of bloody fur at the scene and believe it may have been from a dog the roommates were watching and got caught up in the gunfire.
Michael Newbern, director of Ohio Students for Concealed Carry described Underiner on the group's Facebook page as "a bright young man with a promising future ahead of him."
"At this time, few facts are known and speculation on the circumstances surrounding his death is unwarranted. We are committed to working with law enforcement to the best of our ability in their efforts to solve this case," Newbern said.
Underiner had testified at the Ohio Statehouse in favor of concealed carry on public college campuses and said in a recent interview with The Lantern:
"If you have a late night at the library and … you live in dangerous parts of town, or are out late, being able to have, at least the option to carry a concealed weapon is an important right for Ohio State students."
Self-defense has been a hot topic at the school, where last November a Somali-born Ohio State student plowed his car into a group of pedestrians on campus and then got out and began stabbing people with a butcher knife before being shot dead by a police officer.
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