Temple Student From Delco Shot, Killed Near Campus Sunday

PROSPECT PARK, PA — A Delaware County man attending Temple University was shot and killed over the weekend, according to authorities and reports.

The shooting occurred at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the 2200 block of North Park Avenue and left Samuel Collington dead.

Collington was 21 years old and from Prospect Park, Delaware County, Action News reports.

According to Temple's Executive Director of Public Safety Charlie Leone, Collington was set to graduate in the spring with a focus on political science and had interned as a Democracy Fellow with the city.

"This is a true tragedy in every sense of the word. As a father, this truly breaks my heart and is incomprehensible," he said. "Gun violence continues to affect local communities, and especially young lives, across our city and our nation. We fully understand concerns about individual safety, especially at a time when Philadelphia, like so many other U.S. cities, has experienced a sharp increase in violent crime over the past year."

According to NBC10, Collington was shot twice in the chest outside his off-campus apartment.

Fox 29 reports Collington was being robbed when he was shot.

Collington was taken to Temple University Hospital where he died from his wounds.

Collington's family issued a statement Monday.

"Sam Collington – our son, brother, nephew, and cousin - was and is our hero, and this senseless act crushes us. He was kind and accomplished – president of his class, an eagle scout, National Honor Society, band, an intern at city hall, among many other things. Sam spent all of his free time raising awareness for the issues that meant the most to him. In his honor, we will do everything to make sure that there is #JusticeForSam," the family wrote. "We are planning a vigil this week so that his friends and members of his communities can mourn, and we are working to offer a reward to help authorities find his killer. We will surely let you know through our family spokesperson our plans so you can help us get the message out and we get justice for Sam."

Temple's counseling services are available at Tuttleman Counseling Services, 1700 N. Broad St. Call 215-204-7276 or visit the Tuttleman Counseling Services website for more information.

As of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Philadelphia has seen 506 homicides this year.