It’s a crime some UH students are calling a cowardly act.
UH student Jeremy Lee Pierce, 32, is behind bars on murder charges in the death of a mentally ill man living’ on the streets.
Joe Tall, 48, was sleeping at a bus stop when he was shot in the back of the head Feb. 7 at the 3500 block of Cullen Blvd.
‘To me, shooting somebody while they’re asleep shows that he was nothing more than a coward,’ psychology junior Emily Hall said.
UH architecture student Pierce lived on campus in Cougar Place.
People who knew him said they are shocked by his arrest.
‘It’s nuts, man. He lived close by. I knew him – not very well, but I knew him – and to think he did something like this is scary,’ history senior Ray Luna said.
Pierce was arrested by UH police Thursday after police said he threatened two students with a gun.
Despite last week’s events, consumer science and merchandizing junior Keith Hernandez said he considers the campus a relatively safe place, and a murder such as this is something out of the ordinary at the University.
‘It’s a crazy world we live in, but I feel safe,’ Hernandez said. ‘(Students) are always on campus, sometimes pretty late, and nothing like this has ever happened. UHDPS does a good job of patrolling, and you just need to be aware of your surroundings.’
Thursday’s arrest was not Pierce’s first run-in with authorities. In 2005, he was convicted of burglary of habitation in Wichita County and sentenced to 205 days in jail, according to public records.
‘I just feel safer that he’s been caught and taken into custody and off UH campus,’ University Studies sophomore Carlos Aguilar said.
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