COLUMBIA, S.C. – An incident report by USC Police details problems in the relationship between professor Dr. Raja Fayad and his ex-wife, Sunghee Kwon in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s fatal shooting.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office says Fayad, 45, died of multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. Sunghee Kwon, 46, then committed suicide by shooting herself in the abdomen in a small laboratory office on the fourth floor at the new Arnold School of Public Health.
Police released the incident report Saturday. It states on Jan. 12, officers were called to a lab where Fayad worked, in response to an unwanted person.
Upon arrival, officers say Fayad told them that an Asian female was sitting in his lab and “had no business being in there.”
The report says officers identified the woman as Sunghee Kwon. They say Kwon told them she was there to see the status of her application to a PhD program Fayad was part of.
The report also states Fayad didn’t initially reveal to police that Kwon was his ex-wife or that they had once lived together.
Officers ran Fayad and Kwon’s drivers licenses and discovered the pair shared the same address.
Fayad admitted the following day to officers he and Kwon had broken up two-weeks prior to the incident. He also told police he had moved out of their home and changed his cell phone number, according to the report.
What exactly led up to Thursday’s murder-suicide is still unknown.
Currently, the state ranks second in the nation for the number of homicides caused by domestic violence, according to the S.C. Attorney General’s Office.
Lisa Cope, executive director of MARYS House, an emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence says there’s a reason why these situations happen.
“It escalates so quickly that if you feel like you are in danger at all, you really need to reach out for help,” says Cope.
Cope adds men can also be victims of domestic violence, although they are less likely to report it due to the stigma involved.
“You know for men, I think it is important they realize that because they are being abused doesn’t make them weak.”
Cope says the community needs to be aware of the warning signs of domestic violence, and if they see a person suffering then report it.
“You don’t ever want to see tragedy happen, but at least maybe it will create a conversation so men will be aware, women will be aware.”
USC President Harry Pastides told faculty and students in an email sent Friday:
“Domestic violence is, of course, a plague on our society and has shaken our university family yet again this year. We join in a call to increase awareness and action. Be assured that the University of South Carolina will continue to work for justice to mitigate this plague.”
