Death of Florida State University Pledge Sparks Investigation

The death of a Florida State University fraternity pledge has sparked a police investigation, along with the suspension of the fraternal organization's local chapter.

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On Friday morning, Tallahassee Police received a call about an unresponsive 20-year-old male student. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered Andrew Coffey who was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation into his death is currently underway.

ABC News reports that one of Coffey's high school friends described him as a "smiling, spirited young man."

"[There] was never a day during high school when Andrew didn't have a smile from ear to ear," Dominic Potts said. "Coffey ... always had a positive and warm spirit."

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"We are overwhelmed with sadness any time we learn of the death of one of our students, and the FSU family provides extensive outreach to their family and friends as they mourn the loss of a young life," Amy Hecht, vice president for student affairs said. "We do not yet have details surrounding the passing today of student Andrew Coffey, but we will work closely with the Tallahassee Police Department as it investigates to determine the facts surrounding this case."

A spokesperson for the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity confirmed that an "associate member" of the national organization's Beta Eta Chapter at FSU had died at an off-campus residence Friday. Because of the death, all chapter operations are currently suspended and its members are being asked to "fully cooperate" with the investigation.