Homicide investigating ‘suspicious’ death.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: In a tragic death, which is being investigated by the local homicide department, a popular Indian American engineering student studying at the University of California Davis, Vaibhev Loomba, 20, was found dead the night after a fraternity party off the campus of University of California Berkeley, this past weekend.
Police said they got a 911 call at around 12.10pm Sunday about an unresponsive male at 2728 Bancroft Way, the home of the Zeta Psi Greek organization, reported the Daily Mail. Loomba was found unresponsive in one of the upstairs rooms inside the frat house. Paramedics who responded to the address pronounced him dead at the scene.
The Berkeleyside reported that the Berkeley Fire Department also responded, and confirmed that Loomba had died. No time of death was provided, but the victim was described as “cold to the touch” over the police scanner. A witness told the independent news site that Loomba was discovered lying face down on the floor with vomit around his mouth.
An autopsy was performed Monday morning but the official cause of death will not be released until the completion of a toxicology screening, which can take weeks or months to come back.
According to the Daily Cal, the UC Berkeley student newspaper, Zeta Psi lost its Cal sponsorship in December 2010 “for repeated risk management, fire and life safety and social code violations and noncompliance with prior sanctions.”
Loomba was said to be one of about 100-200 guests who attended the party organized by Zeta Psi Saturday night. He was not a member of the fraternity.
Lt Ed Spiller said police have classified the death as ‘suspicious.’ Drugs and alcohol have not been ruled out as contributing factors.
‘We err on the side of caution, so we deem it suspicious until we can prove otherwise,’ Spiller told KTVU, adding that homicide detectives are looking into the case.
Loomba’s friends have been posting tributes on Facebook in his memory.
‘One of the most genuine guys I know, gone far too soon,’ wrote Michael Riel. ‘Save me a spot up there.’
Loomba’s high school friend Aidan Maguire shared a photo of himself posing with Loomba dressed as the Disney character Aladdin, writing on his Facebook page: ‘One of the greatest guys I may ever know. Always making me laugh and radiating positivity wherever he went. May he rest in peace and be forever remembered.’
According to his LinkedIn page, Loomba studied engineering at UC Davis and was expected to graduate in 2016. He was also the founder and CFO of a non-profit organization he had started with a relative last year.
In 2012, Loomba graduated from Acalanes High School in Antioch, where he headed the debate team, presided over Model UN and ran track.
Police say they have been called to the off-campus fraternity house in the past. As recently as October, officers shut down an out-of-control gathering hosted by Zeta Psi. Following the incident, city officials posted a notice outside the frat house door warning of a $750 fine if there were additional violations, said the Mail report.
The San Francisco Chronicle profiled the fraternity in 2010, and said its first chapter house was built in 1876 at 2251 College Ave. Of the first 12 men to graduate from the University of California in 1873, seven were Zeta Psi brothers.
On Monday, Zeta Psi released a statement addressing the fatality near the UC Berkeley campus: “The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated by the appropriate authorities. Until the investigation is complete, Zeta Psi will not comment on the details of this incident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this young man.”
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