College Student Shot Dead, Car Torched
Auburn University Freshman Fatally Shot, Car Found On Fire Miles Away; No Immediate Arrests
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Photo
This undated photo provided by The Auburn Plainsman, the Auburn University student newspaper, shows Lauren Burk, a freshman at Auburn who was found shot Tuesday night, March 4, 2008, along a highway several miles north of the campus in Auburn, Ala. Burk died later at East Alabama Medical Center. (AP Photo/The Auburn Plainsman)
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Auburn police were investigating Tuesday's death of Lauren Burk as a homicide but made no immediate arrests.
"As soon as we know more we might release it, but what information we have now we're holding it close to our chest," police Capt. Tom Stofer said.
University officials advised students in an e-mail around noon Wednesday that there was "no indication of additional danger to campus or student safety." But the school said the police presence on campus had been increased.
Burk, an 18-year-old freshman from Marietta, Ga., was found wounded on Alabama Highway 147 around 9 p.m. Tuesday, and Auburn police said her Honda Civic was found engulfed in flames at the campus about 20 minutes later. She died Tuesday night at a hospital.
Gov. Bob Riley's office is offering a $10,000 reward in the case, Stofer said.
Confusion and shock spread throughout campus quickly Wednesday morning, the Auburn Plainsman reported.
“I want to know what caused it, because obviously she was targeted,” Jeni Young, a freshman in special education, told the newspaper.
An on-campus prayer vigil for Burk was being organized by her friends, and a memorial was being planned by her sorority, Delta Gamma.
"Delta Gammas across the country offer hope and friendship to Lauren's family and all who have been affected by this tragedy," the sorority's national office said in a statement.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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See all 233 Commentshe could be a fire NUT ... or a robbery NUT ... or maybe even a rape NUT ... it''s tough to tell.
Drew Crecente
Director, Jennifer Ann''s Group
JenniferAnn.org
How many people in the U.S. (male, female, old, young, ugly, attractive) have been murdered in the last week? Dozens I''m sure.
How many of these were young, attractive, female and white?
These psycho men who go crazy:
If I can''t have her then nobody can!
These Emo type need to go see a shrink.
I always find to spot on. Those in favor of a gun in the hands of anyone who wants to own one, often resort to worn out and useless cliches such as "if you take away guns then only criminals will have guns." Ultimately, taking away guns in general is not the issue, but controlling them is. Don''t let them discourage you.
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sp according to you..all we need to do is FIND THE GUN and this case is closed..WE FOUND THE KILLER
Oops! Sorry, I seem to type to fast. I was saying that I always find you to be spot on about everything you state. Good job!
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well then you guys are a bunch of ill informed morons..who said everyone can have a gun?????????????
liberals had been regulating gun ownership..we have som many laws on teh books the only PROBLEM IS YOU MORONS ARE TOO WEAK AND PATHETIC TO ENFORCE IT...
they become high paid rappers teaching our kids how to pimp slap a ''ho...win the noble prize...host a reality show...
Posted by schoolmast1
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Yes
, even an infant could recognize that if witnessing the act.
Posted by ilikecats1 at 11:31 PM : Mar 05, 2008
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would she LESS DEAD if she was killed with a knife???
Ooops, diarrhea of the mouth! Usually that is what people like you have when you have nothing value to say.
Would it likely be a butter knife, gov?
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normally someone who is criminally minded are not to picky..the person can kill you with a fork...
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oh pardon me...let me rephrase that YOUR LAWS FROM A LONG TIME AGO..AND EVERY LAWS THAT LIBERALS PASSED TO REGULATE THE GUN ..SO AS TO CONTROL CRIME..DOES NOT WORK...
all you have to do is look on how many laws were passed but not an inch in improvement...
Of course, a fork will do the trick just as well as a gun.
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california is a liberal state with liberal laws...the only reason why we have a republican as governor is because he is more liberal..
all you have to do is look on how many laws were passed but not an inch in improvement...
Posted by libsrweak at 12:05 AM
Are you able to explain which laws you are talking about?
Posted by rudy654 at 12:06 AM : Mar 06, 2008
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i think you cant get any better than dead..and both can do that..so if they use a fork..you will be just less dead?? OR HOW ABOUT THIS..IT DEPENDS ON WHO IS BEHIND THE GUN OR THE FORK THAT WOULD DECIDE IF YOU DIE OR NOT..
Right now I am just letting you have the floor. If you say a fork works as well as a gun, so be it.
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well one must be 21 years of age..to own a handgun..one must clear a background check..before you buy a handgun you need to take a course in handgun safety..magazine capacity..and if you want i can research for some more..and that is just california..
and you know what..crime is not less but became more freequent and more violent..and you know why..its because WE FAIL TO ENFORCE THESE LAWS..AND OTHER LAWS THAT DEALS WITH CRIMINALS
I don''t know about where you live, but where I live one does not have to be 21 to have a gun.
Posted by rudy654 at 12:09 AM : Mar 06, 2008
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IN MURDERING SOMEBODY..it does not matter what you use..YOUR DEAD..its not like when you die with a hangun you look more presentable..YOUR DEAD..
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I live in Los Angeles..so you tell me...we have laws up the arse..honestly DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WHO ARE ABOUT TO COMMIT A CRIME IS WORRIED ABOUT A LIBERAL''S GUN LAW?????????
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THE PARTY WHERE liberals are more prone to agree with normally choice the easy way of ''crime prevention''..they ignore it
Yeah, it does matter. But I won''t explain it to you just yet.
Why should they worry about gun laws at all, if they can go down the street or wherever to the gun show and get all they want?
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and so you think that most murderers in this country are commited with a gun????????
BECAUSE CONTROLLING GUNs DOES NOT WORK..
Posted by rudy654 at 12:17 AM : Mar 06, 2008
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we have laws about that..but they wont enforce it..HE I AGREE WITH GUN LAWS but is fu cking time to enforce it..
Unquestionably firearms should be treated like drugs and cars and poisons and household cleaners and other potentially hazardous objects when thinking of children.
No one would let a child play in the household cleaners, or so I would dearly hope not. A child needs us adults to help them grow up safe and sound.
Posted by ilikecats1 at 12:23 AM : Mar 06, 2008
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like i siad we have laws about accidental deaths due to unsecured handguns..IT IS NOT LIKE WE DONT HAVE ANY IN THE BOOKS..so if a kid kills another kids because the gun owner is iresponsble then he gets it.
should we do that too to all pools deaths?
Of the homicides for which the type of weapon was specified, firearms were used in 72.6 percent of the offenses. Of the identified firearms used, handguns comprised 87.3 percent.
I wish all you gun law nuts would actually comment on the story and not your personal viewpoints. If that was your sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend - whatever - would griping about gun laws really make you feel better? Imagine what her friends and family are going through and then tell me about your stinking viewpoints on guns. Your meager little bantering doesn''t mean jack!! Why do you even call yourselves Americans? Your pitiful complaints about how guns contributed to this girls death aren''t going to bring her back! Go pound salt gun nuts!
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See all 233 Comments