American teacher dies in Sulaimani balcony fall
According to an email sent to students and alumni by AUIS dean of students Geoffrey Gresk, the US citizen of Korean descent fell from his balcony on Saturday afternoon and later died at Shar Hospital in the north of the city.
“He was given the best care available and taken to the hospital, but, sadly, he passed away from his injuries,” Gresk said.
The university cancelled all undergraduate classes on Sunday. A memorial service will be held at 2pm. Students affected by Choi’s death have been offered counseling.
Sarkawt Ahmed, a Sulaimani police spokesman, told Rudaw officers are investigating the cause of the incident.
According to students posting on an AUIS Facebook forum, Choi fell from the seventh floor of his apartment building. An appeal was initially launched on the forum asking for blood donations.
Officials are yet to comment on the series of events which led to Choi’s fall.
Rudaw English has reached out to Choi’s family for comment.
Choi was an English language instructor in the Academic Preparatory Program, the AUIS English teaching program. He was also an advisor to a student-run environmentalist group.
Students have taken to social media to pay tribute to their teacher.
“Rest in peace my dearest teacher,” Noor Omer, an undergraduate AUIS student, said in a tribute sent to Rudaw English.
“Peter will dearly be missed. He didn’t pass away in a foreign country away from his family and friends, he was among his loved ones when he passed away,” said Rawand Wrya, an AUIS graduate.
“He was always nice to us even when we weren’t his students anymore. He took care of us and asked us how we doing and kept supporting us like an older brother,” Chro A. Wahid, another student, said in a Facebook post.
“We lost a great friend, but the universe received a new beautiful star,” another added.
Rudaw
