Editor’s Note: This story is breaking and coverage is ongoing.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated on 12/14/22 with information about the decedents and cause of death.
Two people were found dead on the UCI campus on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 13 — according to a statement by UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman.
An Irvine Police Department (IPD) press release from late Tuesday night indicated that the deaths were being investigated as a murder-suicide. The two decedents were found at the bottom of Social Science Plaza, Building B. Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Steinle told the LA Times on Wednesday that the suspect had been identified as 36-year-old Andrew Nguyen Doan, an Irvine resident and former UCI student. The victim was Thao Thi Nguyen, a 77-year-old woman. The IPD identified Doan as Nguyen’s son.
The New University reached out to IPD, who referred to its press release on Dec. 14, which said that Doan threw Nguyen off the landing of the building before jumping from the same landing.
Doan was reportedly on authorities’ radar, and police had been summoned to their residence on multiple occasions prior to yesterday’s incident.
An email statement by Gillman was sent four hours after the incident, which stated that, due to the nature of the deaths, IPD would take the lead on the investigation.
“It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death on campus of two individuals this afternoon,” the email read. “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.”
A zotALERT emergency notification was sent out at 4:10 p.m. notifying the UCI community of “police activity at Social Science Plaza B.” At 4:47 p.m. a follow-up alert was sent, indicating that there was “no threat to the community,” but that police activity continued.
The UCI Police Department (UCIPD) crime log shows a call at 3:52 p.m. for “Medical Aid” at the UCI School of Social Sciences, 20 minutes before the zotALERT.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact UCIPD at (949) 824-5223 or IPD Detective John Sanders at 949-724-7233 or jsanders@cityofirvine.org.
Mohammad “Moh” Samhouri is a 2022-2023 Copy Chief. He can be reached at copy@newuniversity.org.
