Samuel Sean Collington, a major political science student months after graduation, was shot and killed off campus in North Philadelphia on November 28 after returning from Thanksgiving vacation.
Collington was shot at least twice in the chest outside his college apartment in the 2200 block of North Park Avenue at 1:32 p.m. in an attempted robbery.
“It’s devastating .. it could have been one of us,” said junior Mariyah Jiwanji.
Other students also reacted to the violence that took place on Sunday.
“It was very heartbreaking. I didn’t know Sam personally, but we shared a lot in common. We had the same major, we probably slipped into the same buildings on campus, ”said junior Andrew Ankamah.
Ankamah is also part of an organization called “The Accountability Initiative”, which aims to find solutions to the problems prevalent in educational institutions.
The group held a demonstration against gun violence at the steeple on Saturday and invited students and community members to share their thoughts on what’s going on and come up with ideas to tackle the problem of rising gun violence. .
“We shouldn’t have to fear for our lives where we came to get an education,” Ankamah said in a social media post.
Junior Prishita Jasani described the incident as “so terrifying. We are supposed to come back, supposed to feel safe,” she said.
Collington’s murder comes at a time when Philadelphia is witnessing a record number of homicides.
The rise in violence so close to campus worries some students for their safety.
“It’s scary going out, going out of my apartment now. I have to look around, I have to have someone on the phone, ”Jasani said.
Safety concerns aside, those who knew Sam remember him as a good student and a hard worker. He also loved fishing and his family.
With the ambition to work in politics, Collington was an intern for City Commissioner Omar Sabir, who says Sam had an energetic mind and was currently working on a multitude of projects at Town Hall.
“Sometimes it can be a TV commercial shoot, a press conference, Sam was still there. He was a good young man who was taken from us far too soon,” Commissioner Sabir said. .
In a statement, his mother, Molly, described her son as “kind, accomplished and her hero.”
“Sam was an amazing person, just the best,” she said.
Heartfelt notes fill a political science department board, as students and faculty share their thoughts and memories of Collington.
#JusticeForSam, seen on many notes, echoes a plea from Sam’s mother.
“It’s an injustice like no other… #justiceforSam,” she said, fighting back tears.
The Temple’s Political Science Society, the organization of which Sam was president, held a rally Wednesday to offer resources and support to students who may be struggling.
On Thursday, family and friends gathered at Interboro High School for a vigil in his memory.
Temple announced heightened security measures following the murder of Sam Collington, with President Jason Wingard saying the campus community was rallying to fight gun violence.
The university held an online forum on Thursday to share its plans with students, parents and members of the community.
The measures include increasing its campus security force by 50% and working on anti-violence initiatives.
