Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BELOIT, Wis. (AP) — The Beloit College community is grappling with news that a 2008 graduate was slain in Yemen.
Luke Somers was killed Saturday as U.S. forces tried to rescue him from al-Qaida captors. He had been working as a freelance photographer in Yemen when he was kidnapped in September 2013.
Beloit College released a statement Saturday offering condolences to Somers' family, classmates and friends, and "to the people he courageously and selflessly served in Yemen." The statement says: "We are proud to be associated with Luke and so sorry the world has lost him."
College president Scott Beirman says in a campus letter that Somer's death is "crushing news." He urged community members to think of ways to honor him, and to turn to friends and counselors to deal with his loss.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
