A junior at Temple University in Philadelphia was fatally shot inside an off-campus apartment where investigators found “signs of a struggle,” police said.
Daniel Duignam, a 21-year-old student at Temple’s Fox School of Business, was found shot in the chest, groin and forearm late Saturday inside his apartment at 17th and Diamond streets in North Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
No sign of forced entry was found at Duignam’s first-floor apartment and investigators believe the killing was not a random act, according to police Capt. Jack Ryan.
“There was definitely signs of a struggle,” Ryan told the newspaper. “The house was ransacked.”
Temple University president Richard Englert said university police will increase patrols in the areas surrounding campus as police continue investigating the shooting.
“On behalf of everyone at Temple, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to Daniel’s family and friends at this tragic time,” Englert said in a statement. “They are in the thoughts and prayers of us all. The death of a member of Temple University’s community takes an enormous emotional toll on all of us.”
Duignam, originally from Tatamy, Pennsylvania, was studying risk management and insurance at Temple, according to his LinkedIn profile. His grandfather, Luke Duignam, was once mayor of the borough about 55 miles north of Philadelphia, according to the Morning Call of Allentown.
“I am beyond heartbroken to let you know that one of our own has fallen to a senseless tragedy,” Borough of Tatamy Mayor Christopher Moren posted on Facebook. “Dan was the grandson of former Mayor Luke Duignam. I cannot imagine their pain and sadness.”
Neighbors of Duignam’s told the Inquirer they were shaken following the killing, the second fatal shooting in the neighborhood in less than a month. Two people were killed and another was wounded about a block away when a gunman opened fire on April 21, according to the newspaper.
“I’m over it,” Natalie LePera said of the neighborhood, saying she now wants to move. “I’m very over it.”
Another neighbor, Romona Scott, told NBC Philadelphia she didn’t see or hear anything out of the norm late Saturday.
“There’s a bunch of bars,” Scott told the station. “They didn’t break in. Whoever it was had to come in with him or he had to know him.”
No arrests had been made or suspects identified in the case as of midday Monday, police sources in Philadelphia confirmed to The Post.
Duignam called police from his apartment after the shooting, saying he couldn’t breathe. Responding medics later found him with several bullet wounds, Ryan told the Morning Call. A small fireproof safe was also found open inside the apartment, prompting police to believe robbery was the motive.
Investigators now think Duignam knew “who was in the apartment with him” at the time and are reviewing surveillance cameras in the area to identify a suspect or suspects, Ryan said.