Mayor calls University of Idaho students' deaths 'senseless'
MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — The mayor of the small town where four University of Idaho students were found dead on Sunday said the “senseless” event is a reminder that acts of violence can occur anywhere.
The Moscow Police Department has released few details about the deaths, which have been labeled “homicides.” Officers discovered the bodies of the four University of Idaho students at a home near campus when they were responding to a report of an unconscious person.
The victims were identified as Ethan Chapin, a 20-year-old from Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, a 21-year-old from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, from Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, from Rathdrum, Idaho.
In a press release on Monday, Moscow Mayor Art Bettge said though only limited information could be shared without jeopardizing the police investigation, his heart and thoughts were with the victims and their families as well as the entire community.
“This tragedy serves as a sobering reminder that senseless acts of violence can occur anywhere, at any time, and we are not immune from such events here in our community,” Bettge wrote. “Today we grieve for those who were lost and those they leave behind.”
Police do not believe there is an “active threat” to the community, the University of Idaho wrote in a press release. The university brought in additional security staffers to help with the school's “Safe Walks,” program, which allows students and employees to sign up to have a security guard accompany them on walks across campus.
Authorities have released few details about the investigation or what caused the deaths.
“Details are limited in this investigation. Currently, there is no one in custody,” the police department wrote in a press release. “The Moscow Police does not believe...