News Release

Two students fall from residence hall window;
one dies of injuries, second in critical condition

CHAPEL HILL – One University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student has died and another remains in critical condition at UNC Hospitals following a fall from a Stacy Residence Hall third-story window early this morning (Feb. 24).

The incident occurred about 12:23 a.m. Witnesses told campus police that the pair was running in the third-floor hallway when they crashed through a window at the end of the hallway and fell to the ground below.

The student who died is Keith Shawn Smith, a 20-year-old sophomore from Greensboro, according to hospital officials. Tyler Joseph Ely Downey, a 19-year-old freshman student from Asheville, remains hospitalized.

Student Affairs staff and counselors have been at the residence hall and UNC Hospitals since early this morning, providing support to students, friends and family members.

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News Services contacts: Lisa Katz, (919) 962-2093, and Karen Moon, (919) 962-8595
UNC Hospitals contact: Stephanie Crayton, (919) 966-2860