Occupy members found dead in tents so far in
at least 7 sites: Vancouver,
New Orleans,
Burlington, Vt.,
Oklahoma City,
Bloomington, Ind.,
Salt Lake City, and Denton, Tx., below.
12/4/11, "
Man Found Dead at Texas 'Occupy' Camp," Newscore
"
A man was found dead Saturday afternoon in a tent at the "Occupy Denton" campsite on the grounds of the University of North Texas, KNTU-Radio reported.
University and city police found the body at the eight-tent encampment after someone contacted authorities between 5:00pm and 5:30pm local time, UNT spokesman Buddy Price told the station.
Price said crime scene tape had been put up to block off the campsite and that protesters would not be allowed back in to the area until investigations into the death had been finalized.
A statement published on the university's Facebook page said police had not yet identified how the as-yet unidentified man had died, but believed he was a participant in the "Occupy" protest.
"According to the UNT Police Department, the time and cause of death is unknown ... The area has been secured while the UNT Police conduct an investigation," the statement said.
The body was taken from the camp by a Denton County coroner about 8:30pm, the North Texas Daily reported, adding it was not believed the man was a student at the university.
Garrett Graham, a spokesman for "Occupy Denton," told the university's student newspaper the dead man "is a friend of ours who had found a family here. We're dealing with it like a family.""
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11/5/11, "Woman dies at Occupy Vancouver site," Vancouver Sun, by Mike Hager
"Tensions are high at the Occupy Vancouver site after a female, who is believed to be in her 20s, died late Saturday afternoon in what Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services are calling a "medical emergency."...
VFRS spokesman Capt. Gabe Roder confirmed the woman who died was in a tent...Shaw said he didn't know if it was an overdose or not, but they don't know how long she was unresponsive because the woman had been in the tent alone....
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11/08/11, "Man found dead in Occupy New Orleans encampment," New Orleans Times-Picayune, L. Williams
"A 53-year-old man was found dead Tuesday inside a tent pitched at the Occupy New Orleans encampment at Duncan Plaza across from City Hall. He appears to have been living in the tent inside the occupation zone, said John Gagliano, chief investigator for the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office.
The man appears to have been dead for at least two days, Gagliano said."...
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11/16/11, "Occupy Burlington shooting victim had gun all week," Burlington Free Press, Sam Hemingway
"Burlington police say the man who died last week of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Occupy Burlington encampment at City Hall Park had been carrying the gun with him for the previous week.
Joshua Pfenning, a 35-year-old transient, shot himself in the head with a handgun shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday. He was pronounced dead three hours later at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington.
Deputy Burlington Police Chief Andi Higbee said Tuesday that Pfenning told the three people in the tent with him just before the shooting about having the gun with him
- at the camp for the past seven days.
“There was no discussion at the camp about him having a gun before it was produced by him in the tent,” Higbee said. “The only time it was present or seen was at the event just minutes before the (shooting) happened.”
Higbee said police still are trying to determine whether the shooting was accidental or an act of suicide. Police have said Pfenning pointed the gun in a threatening manner toward another person in the tent before Pfenning suffered the fatal gunshot wound.
Police have spoken to all three people who were in the tent when the shooting occurred. Two were interviewed shortly after the incident, but police were unable to locate the third person immediately. The three told essentially the same story about the events that led to the shooting, Higbee said.
The shooting prompted police to declare the encampment a crime scene. Thursday night, protesters angry about being barred from returning to their tents engaged in a confrontation with police after a woman was arrested. A potential riot was averted when Mayor Bob Kiss persuaded police to release the woman.
Police on Friday said that because of the shooting and evidence of excessive alcohol consumption and drug use at the encampment, all tents would have to be removed."...
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10/31/11, "Occupy OKC participant found dead in tent at Kerr Park," newsok.com, Matt Dinger
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11/7/11, "
City Still Supports Occupy Bloomington After Man’s Death," IndianaPublicMedia.org
Man
found dead in tent was said to be homeless, needed place to stay.
11/11/11, "
Man found dead in Pioneer Park, Occupy SLC ordered to leave both camps," KSL, Pat Reavy
Man found dead in tent.
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11/10/11, "
Man fatally shot near Occupy Oakland camp," CBS News
via Drudge
