Asians, Crime, Guns / Firearms, Law Schools, Violence

Temple Third-Year Law Student Suspected in Shooting

By  
on

Many law students these days are angry and frustrated. If the allegations are true, one has resorted to gun violence (and not just against his casebooks). From Philadelphia’s Fox 29:

A Virginia man is in custody after a weekend shooting in front of Fox 29’s studio in Philadelphia that was caught on camera. Temple University grad student Gerald Ung allegedly shot Villanova graduate Ed DiDonato at 4th and Market Streets early Sunday morning.

According to WPVI, the suspected shooter, Gerald Ung (pictured), is a third-year fourth-year law student at Temple’s Beasley School of Law.
UPDATE (1 PM): Temple has confirmed that Ung, 28, is — or “was,” to use the exact language from the Philadelphia Inquirer article — a law student there.
CORRECTION: Ung is not a 3L, as we originally wrote. Rather, he’s a fourth-year law student in Temple’s evening program.
It is unclear what exactly provoked the shooting, although it appears that Ung and DiDonato were engaged in an argument before the incident. You can see this by watching (somewhat grainy) video footage of the altercation over here. One tipster’s reaction:

This happened in my hometown, which I miss less and less these days. And the [alleged] perp lived three blocks from where I used to live. I wonder if having an appreciation of the law and how much it’s going to run over you makes it any more difficult to sit in jail knowing you’ve done something like this.

UPDATE (2 PM): A different perspective on this incident, after the jump.


The shooting is connected to the Philly legal world in a second way as well. The father of the victim, Edward DiDonato, is a partner at Fox Rothschild, where he focuses on bankruptcy matters.
If the allegations are true, this would not be the first time an Asian-American law student in Philadelphia has gone on a shooting spree. Back in 2007, Joseph Cho riddled his neighbors’ apartment door with nearly 15 shots. Such incidents raise broader questions about the mental health of law students (and whether schools are doing enough to help them).
After the shooting, Ed DiDonato Jr. was taken to Jefferson University Hospital, where he is in critical condition. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the DiDonato family as they await further news of his condition.
UPDATE (2 PM): A Temple law student offers this information (which is also echoed in some of the comments):

I’d just like to ask you not to jump to conclusions on this guy having mental health problems leading him to “go on a shooting spree.” I’m a 3L here at Temple; Gerald is a friend of mine. He’s one of the nicest and funniest people I’ve ever met, very social, very centered. Certainly not the type to let law school turn him into a maniac.

Honestly I’m shocked, but from what I know of him and what I can see on the video, I’m sure that there is more to this story than a disgruntled law student going off the handle. You can see that he and his friends were trying to walk away, and the guy who got shot came at him even while he had the gun in his hands.

Of course I realize my personal connection undermines my credibility here, but this story is not as simple as you’re making it.

Sponsored

We thank this correspondent for providing another side to the story.
P.S. The past few weeks have seen a series of shootings connected to the legal world, including this shooting by a class action plaintiff, as well as the Las Vegas courthouse shooting.
UPDATE: Read more about this story over here.
Video: Man Shot In Front Of Fox 29 [Fox 29]
Law student charged in Old City shooting caught on tape [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Arrest in Shooting on Market Street in Old City [WPVI / ABC]
Surveillance vid captures shooting outside Fox 29 studios [Philadelphia Daily News]
Man Critical After Old City Shooting [CBS News]

Sponsored

Topics