March 18, 2013

While I know nothing about this young man's circumstances, our current economic problems affect everyone and increase the pressures people feel. There used to be agencies to help people in emotional crisis, but now they're either gone -- or vastly underfunded and understaffed. Most families are not in a financial position to help each other anymore, (my parents helped me over many a hump when I was a single parent, and I was grateful for it) and it doesn't take much more to send someone over the edge these days. There are so few options now:

(CNN) -- A body with a self-inflicted gunshot wound was found along with a bag of bombs in a dormitory room at the University of Central Florida early Monday, prompting officials to cancel classes at the main Orlando campus until at least noon, a school spokesman said.

Police made the discovery shortly after 12:20 a.m., after a fire alarm sounded at the Tower 1 dorm and someone called 911 about a person with a gun there, school spokesman Grant Heston said on CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien." Officers entered the dorm and found a male dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a bedroom, Heston said.

Police also found a handgun, an assault weapon and a bag of improvised explosive devices in the room, Heston said.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office and the FBI are assisting the UCF Police Department with the investigation. The Sheriff's Office's bomb squad is on campus to examine the IEDs found at the scene, UCF said.

Heston didn't say whether the dead person was a student, nor did he release a name.

The dorm, home to about 500 students, was evacuated.

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