Junior math major Daniel Sun Kim suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, the cause of which both the medical examiner and the Christiansburg Police Department suspect to be suicide.
In early November, Tech received an e-mail from a person claiming to be Kim's friend, the content of with contained a concern about Kim possibly having a gun, and being a potential danger to himself or others.
The e-mail was directed to the university's Care Team, a group of officials whose responsibility is to meet weekly and discuss individual troubled students, and appropriate courses of action.
Staffs from over eight university offices are representatives on the Care Team, which is headed by the Dean of Students.
According to the Care Team manual posted on Tech's Web site, the team is responsible for "student crisis and emergency response protocol."
Because Kim lived off-campus, the team asked the Blacksburg Police Department to conduct a check on the student.
"We followed up, and the police department followed up and visited with the student," said Larry Hincker, university relations. "The allegations that were made in the e-mail (in regards) to Kim were not true; he denied knowing the person that sent the e-mail."
The Blacksburg Police Dept. was given the e-mail, and subsequently visited Kim on Nov. 5 to check on him.
"When the e-mail came into the university, (Blacksburg Police Dept.) had the jurisdiction to do the wellness check," Hincker said.
Hincker was quick to explain that Tech did all it could with the letter given the circumstances.
"A friend was concerned about him. We went to the residence and spoke to (Kim) and he was okay at that point," said Lt. Joe Davis of the Blacksburg Police Dept.
"The thing is, unless you're a danger to yourself or others; you can't take anymore action on it," Davis said.
Davis said that the Blacksburg Police Dept. did all they could to prevent anything from happening, as well.
Davis also said Kim denied he even knew the person who wrote the e-mail.
Although officials suspect his death was a suicide, Kim's family adamantly disagrees.
In a Korea Times article, they are quoted as saying he had no reason to kill himself, and suspect that Kim was possibly murdered.
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