December 20. 2003 6:01AM Forums_ Print this_ Email this
UF student killed in fall from roof of frat house
ZOOM
Lise Fisher
SUN STAFF WRITER
fisherl@gvillesun.com
day or two before he planned to return home for the holidays, a University of Florida student fell to his death early Friday from a fraternity house roof.
Aaron H. Arnett, 21, of Lakeland was pronounced dead at 4:37 a.m. at Shands at the University of Florida, police reported. A sophomore and political science student, university officials said, he fell about 15 feet while trying to get into his room at Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, 207 SW 13th St., by climbing from a balcony through a window.
Arnett apparently had suffered head trauma from the fall onto concrete steps below, a police report stated.
Gainesville Police, who are investigating the incident, said Arnett had been out with friends and had gone to a local club before returning to the fraternity that morning.
The incident occurred at about 4 a.m., about two hours after Arnett returned to the fraternity, Wynn Smiley, the fraternity's national chief executive officer, said.
Sgt. Keith Kameg said Arnett was outside with friends before the incident and that the case has been deemed alcohol-related.
"We do know he had been out with friends at Gator City and that he had been drinking," Kameg said. Witnesses also told police the drinking continued at the fraternity house.
But officers won't know what role alcohol may have played in Arnett's fall until toxicology results are available.
The police report doesn't say why Arnett tried to get into his room through the window. But Smiley said, "Somehow he had locked himself out of his room."
"We don't believe there was a problem with people being on the roof," Smiley said. "It was just a freak accident."
Only about 20 fraternity brothers including Arnett were still at the house Friday as the university's fall semester wrapped up. Arnett had planned to leave Friday or today, Smiley said.
A statement released by the fraternity said, "We the brothers of Alpha Tau Omega are saddened and deeply regret the loss of our brother, Aaron Arnett, as the result of this tragic accident. He will be missed, and our brotherhood will always honor his memory. Most brothers have been notified, and we are working together to help the family and the fraternity through this difficult time of the holiday season."
A relative of Arnett's said he could not comment but said the student's family had left early Friday from Lakeland for Gainesville.
Arnett is listed as a fraternity chapter officer on the fraternity's Web site.
Fraternity members were waiting to speak with Arnett's family about a memorial service, Smiley said.
This is the second death of a fraternity member at a UF fraternity house this fall semester.
In October, Kyle Schuemann, 22, was found dead behind his fraternity house, Theta Chi, 10 Fraternity Row. An autopsy showed he died from a combination of acute alcohol intoxication, facial injuries and asphyxiation. His blood-alcohol concentration was .22. The legal limit for driving in Florida is .08.
Schuemann had been at a downtown Gainesville bar celebrating his birthday before returning to the fraternity house, police said.
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