Summary: Dan Markel was found shot to death one month ago at his Betton Hills home. There are still no leads or suspects in the case, only a vehicle of interest. He was a law professor at Florida State University College of Law.
Dan Markel was found shot in his Betton Hills home one month ago this past Monday, according to The Tallahassee Democrat.
Markel was a law professor at Florida State University College of Law.
A 911 caller told emergency dispatchers the following that fateful day: “I don’t know if somebody tried to shoot him or if he shot himself, or what, I don’t know. You need to send an ambulance in a hurry. He’s still alive, he’s still moving.”
Markel died the next day and there has yet to be a suspect identified or person of interest named in the case, according to the Tallahassee Police Department.
“We have no updates at this time. The investigation is ongoing,” said TPD spokesman Officer David Northway.
The case has been labeled as open and active, which means that the police report can be kept confidential from the public.
“We are actively investigating,” Northway added. “We will not rest until we bring this case to a close.”
Markel’s neighbors were living in fear following the shooting until the police department said one week later that he was the intended victim of the shooting.
A ‘vehicle of interest’ in the case was identified as a Prius-like vehicle, but police did not say anything further about the car. There is also no information on possible motives for the shooting of Markel.
There was an error made by the call taker at the dispatch center that delayed the response time of officers to 15 minutes and Leon County Emergency Medical Services to 19 minutes. The reference made to a gunshot wound was not taken as an ‘actual condition’ by the call taker, which led to it not be prioritized correctly, according to executive director of the Consolidated Dispatch Agency, Tim Lee.
The law school is still coming to terms with his death and all of his classes have been canceled.
“The initial shock and deep grief has given way to more feelings of sorrow and loss,” said Manuel Utset, associate dean for academic affairs at the FSU College of Law.
“You can imagine when a tragedy like this hits, that things change,” Utset said. “No one could have imagined a month ago that something like this could occur.”