Dr Raja Fayad's ex-wife had been living in their home a year after their divorce
The woman who gunned down her ex-husband, a respected colon cancer researcher, in a murder-suicide at the University of South Carolina, had been living together with him more than a year after their divorce, according to court documents.
Sunghee Kwon shot Dr Raja Fayad, a Lebanese colon cancer specialist and graduate director at USC's Public Health Research Center, in his fourth floor office after he'd reportedly moved out of their home to be with a new girlfriend.
The couple had up until recently been living under the same roof, even after their divorce, in spite of Kwon saying in divorce papers they'd lived apart since January 2013, according to divorce papers filed in August of that year.
Murder-suicide: Dr Raja Fayad (left), a graduate director and expert in colon cancer, was gunned down at the University of South Carolina's Public Health Research Center by his ex-wife, Sunghee Kwon (right)
WISTV reports Kwon also stated in court documents that she had moved to Chicago in April 2013, where she claimed to own several properties.
According to Lexington County records, the couple bought a home in Columbia in August 2009 about 15 miles from the Arnold Public Health Research Center where Dr Fayad had worked since 2008.
Kwan committed suicide by turning her pistol to her stomach and firing, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. A 9mm handgun with an empty magazine was found near the bodies, State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Thom Berry said.
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ShareKwon, 46, and Fayad, 45, split up for good a few months ago, Watts said.
Kwon was still living in the couple's home near Lake Murray in Lexington County, while Fayad had moved to a long-term hotel with a family member, according to the coroner.
Neighbors said Fayad, who completed his MD in Syria before moving to the United States, recently ended a 'stormy relationship' with a woman he was living with, described as his girlfriend.
Fathi Elsahli told The State the situation had deteriorated when he moved out to be with another woman.
Victim: Students raved about Dr Fayad, who had earned his medical degree at Aleppo University before taking teaching positions in the United States
Fayad and Kwon had moved from Chicago, where Fayad had been teaching at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She settled in August after getting a job, but then lost it, the paper reported.
Helena Sanford, who lives next door, said the Faya's ex girlfriend told her that Internet service and electricity had been cut off at the home.
She told the paper: 'It's devastating. It's a terrible waste of life.'
Many students rated Fayad highly before his death, suggesting he made Exercise Science 223, a anatomy and physiology course, bearable.
On the anonymous review site Rate My Professor Fayad earned a 4.7 on a 5.0 scale. Some of the comments included were: 'Dr. Fayad is the man. He is super laid back and loves the material he teaches. ... One of the best professors I’ve had.
Lockdown: Heavily armed and armored police from Columbia, South Carolina swarmed the campus on Thursday afternoon after a gunman opened fire
Precautions: There was no longer any active danger almost immediately following what many reports have called a murder-suicide
Another read: 'Take this professor. He is awesome! He knows what he is teaching and seems interested in his research.'
According to divorce records, Kwon was jobless and on unemployment benefits when the pair divorced, though she anticipated getting a job, and both parties agreed neither would pay alimony.
Kwon claimed three real estate lots among non-marital property, which she said she bought using her own savings.
She asked the court to leave these properties, including a Chicago property bought with a pension and another marital property the couple owned, in her name.
Much of the campus remained on a complete lockdown in the aftermath of the shooting even though police said danger from the 'very isolated' incident was over.
According to The State reporter Amanda Coyne, some professors even taught through the lockdown.
The shooting happened a couple of blocks from the Statehouse and two blocks from the university's basketball arena. The street is one of the city's busiest.
Sirens could be heard as more police officers arrived at the public health building.
Shots fired: The University of South Carolina campus in Columbia was put on lock down and students told to shelter in place following a 1:20pm shooting Thursday
Law enforcement officials gather on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia after shots were fired at its new School of Public Health on Thursday
The shooting occurred in or near the relatively new Arnold School of Public Health as police in SWAT gear with AR-15 secured its perimeter and ushered away students
An alert was also issued to employees at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, where personnel performed security sweeps as a precautionary measure.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley also cut short a news conference over security concerns.
Student Hayden Dunn, a senior from Myrtle Beach, said he was in the building about 1 p.m., getting in an elevator to change classes, when a police officer also got inside.
Dunn said the officer asked whether anyone had heard gunshots, but they hadn't. Dunn said he went to class, then an alarm sounded five minutes later, and people rushed outside. Another office told him shots had been fired, he said.
'Otherwise, you wouldn't have known anything happened,' Dunn said.
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