Two Deaths at UC Berkeley in Two Days
- Two people died within two days at UC Berkeley campus. - Additional incidents include a driver crashing into a Safeway store. - Local authorities are investigating amid rising concerns patch.com.
Two men were found dead on the University of California, Berkeley campus within about 24 hours this week, prompting two separate police investigations. (abc7news.com) The first death was reported just before 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, when UC Berkeley police and the Berkeley Fire Department responded to a fall near the Unit 3 Residence Hall Complex and found a deceased student. Investigators said they do not believe foul play was involved. (abc7news.com) The second death was reported around noon Wednesday, April 22, after university staff found a deceased man in bushes outside Sproul Hall. Police said the man did not appear to be affiliated with the university, and they again said there was no immediate indication of foul play. (abc7news.com) In both cases, the Alameda County coroner was called to determine the causes of death. The university said counseling and psychological services were available to students after the back-to-back incidents. (abc7news.com) The deaths landed during a tense stretch for Berkeley-area public safety news. In a separate April 22 incident, a car crashed into a Safeway store in Martinez, and local reports said at least one customer was injured. (claycord.com) Berkeley has also been dealing with other recent crash investigations. Police announced on April 17 that they had arrested a 41-year-old man in a Berkeley hit-and-run case after a pedestrian was seriously hurt on Adeline Street the week before. (patch.com) Another Berkeley fight has centered on campus climate. UC Berkeley announced a $1 million settlement on March 19 in an antisemitism lawsuit and agreed to policy changes, including clarifying that “Zionist” cannot be used as a proxy for “Jew” or “Israeli” in discrimination reviews. (jweekly.com) The settlement also requires rescinding 2022 Berkeley Law student-group bylaws that barred invited speakers who support Zionism, while allowing student groups to continue choosing whom they invite. UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof said the agreement reflects the university’s effort to combat antisemitic harassment and discrimination on campus. (jweekly.com) For now, the clearest facts in the death cases are narrow: two men died on campus on April 21 and April 22, and police have said they are treating the incidents as separate investigations. The county coroner’s findings are expected to answer what happened next. (abc7news.com)
