In 2004, there was one suicide out of four attempted. In 2005, there were five attempts and one suicide.
A Tucson man jumped off of a parking garage and fell to his death Sunday, making this the first apparent suicide on campus this semester, authorities said.
The Tucson Police Department responded to the scene, the Main Gate Parking Garage located at 815 E. Second St. near the University Park Marriott.
TPD spokesman Mark Robinson said the report is still open but confirmed that the department responded to an incident.
“”Pending the results of an autopsy, we’ve classified this as a suicide,”” Robinson said.
The University of Arizona Police Department arrived at the garage later but was not directly involved in handling the incident, said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesman.
The victim, whose name is being withheld, was an adult male.
A university records check did not list the man as a registered student or employee of the UA.
The number of suicides on campus has remained the same in the past two years, said Mejia.
In 2004, there was one completed suicide out of four attempted. In 2005, there were five attempts and one suicide.
Mejia said students especially face a lot of stress in college and suffering from depression is not uncommon.
The key is to take preventative measures and know that there are places to get help, Mejia said, referring to the Counseling and Psychological Services at the UA, where counselors are available to help students work through difficult times.
The time to deal with personal thoughts of suicide or friends who show suicidal tendencies is now, Mejia said.
“”Oftentimes, they don’t leave notes,”” Mejia said, “”and the parents may question the rest of their lives,”” wondering if there was something they could have done.
Dr. Bruce Parks, chief medical examiner for Pima County, confirmed that the man jumped to his death from the parking structure. According to the report, the incident was classified as a suicide by TPD.
Robinson said evidence at the scene was sufficient for police to classify the death as a suicide, and the homicide unit will not be investigating the death.