Dan Markel, Toronto-born law prof, dead after shot in Florida home
Toronto-born Dan Markel, a prominent Florida State University law professor, author and blogger, was shot in his home over the weekend and died in hospital.
Officers were called to Markel's home on Friday morning, where he was found with an apparent gunshot wound, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
Markel, a 41-year-old father of two, was taken to hospital and died Saturday. No suspects have been named and police are still investigating.
Florida State acknowledged the shooting, confirming the shooting on fsunews.com and saying he died around 11 a.m. ET.
“I am deeply saddened to report that our colleague Dan Markel passed away early this morning,” said FSU Law School dean Donald Weidner in the release. “As many of you are already aware, Dan was fatally injured in a shooting incident that took place yesterday and which is still under active investigation by local authorities."
Markel attended the University of Harvard and Cambridge University before eventually becoming a professor at Florida State's law school.
He appeared as a commentator on radio shows and wrote opinion pieces for The Atlantic, Slate and the New York Times. He was also a contributor on the academic law blog PrawfsBlawg.
"We are stunned and bereaved by his loss, and our thoughts go to his two little boys, who were precious to him, and to his family," read a recent post on PrawfsBlawg.
A memorial was held in Tallahassee on Sunday, attended by Markel's colleagues.
"Today there was a strong feeling of how much he's going to be missed," said FSU law graduate Jennifer Dreyer.
"It's an incalculable loss for the legal academic community, and we're all very sad," said fellow FSU law professor Wayne Logan.
A funeral is planned for later this week in Toronto.
Florida State also announced there will be a special memorial event at the law school this fall.
The Tallahassee Police Department has released few details on the case, and no suspects or motive have yet been revealed.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that local authorities had been investigating hundreds of car burglaries in several northeast Tallahassee neighbourhoods earlier this year.
Nearby residents also told the news outlet that there has been a string of break-ins and home burglaries in the area over the last few months.
"There's a lot of rumours," resident John Calhoun told the Democrat. "The lack of information has been sort of frustrating. Was it a burglary? Was it a home invasion? Was it something more sinister than that?"
