In the winter of 2015, a tragedy unfolded on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, forever marking the lives of those who knew Dr. Raja Fayad. A 45-year-old male professor of Lebanese descent, Fayad was a respected member of the university's Arnold School of Public Health. His work as the Graduate Director and Head of the Applied Physiology Division was not just a job, but a passion, particularly his research into colon cancer prevention.
Colleagues and students alike remembered him as a positive and upbeat presence, known for his dedication and for organizing celebrations for his coworkers.
The events of that fateful Thursday afternoon sent shockwaves through the campus community. In an office on the fourth floor of the public health school, Fayad's life was cut short. He was found deceased, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. The incident, which prompted a campus-wide lockdown and a significant law enforcement response, was quickly determined to be a murder-suicide. The other individual involved was identified as Fayad's ex-wife, Sunghee Kwon.
Investigations by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division revealed that Fayad and Kwon had been in a long-term relationship that had ended. Neighbors of the professor described their relationship as 'stormy.' On that tragic day, Kwon entered the university building where Fayad worked and the fatal confrontation occurred. After shooting Fayad, Kwon turned the weapon on herself. A semi-automatic handgun was later recovered from the scene.
The aftermath of the murder-suicide left the University of South Carolina community in mourning. A vigil was held to honor the late professor, and the university established the Raja Fayad Memorial Fund to continue his promising research into cancer prevention. While the immediate danger on campus was over, the profound loss of a dedicated educator and researcher, and the tragic circumstances of his death, left a lasting and somber impact.
