Deputies rule that UNC Wilmington professor Mike Adams died by suicide in his home
Mike Adams, the controversial UNC Wilmington professor, died at his home last week from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday afternoon.
Adams’ friend called 911 while standing outside Adams’ home Thursday and asked deputies to check on Adams after not hearing from him for a few days. He told the dispatcher that Adams’ had been “erratic” for the past few weeks and “under a lot of stress,” according to records from the New Hanover County 911 center.
After conducting an investigation, the Sheriff’s Office said Adams died by suicide and that foul play is not suspected.
Adams, a tenured criminology professor, was set to retire early Aug. 1, after reaching a settlement agreement with the university for more than $500,000.
He has been in the spotlight several times over the years and drawn public criticism, most recently surrounding his comments on social media, The News & Observer has reported. Online Change.org petitions collected more than 100,000 signatures calling for Adams to be fired earlier this summer.
When news of his death spread on social media last week, some noted his offensive comments on race and gender, while others shared their condolences and called him a defender of the First Amendment and praising his conservative values.
Adams’ neighbors didn’t know him well, but said he was an easygoing and friendly guy who mostly kept to himself. They didn’t know much about his online presence and political takes until things flared up recently.
“I was interested in talking to him once I found out exactly what he was all about,” Bryan Hanley said. “I was like, ‘How do you handle that much pressure on you? You know nationwide people turned against you. How do you handle something like that? How do you handle that kind of stress? Obviously, I wish none of this happened, it shouldn’t happen to anybody no matter how controversial you are.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 4:17 PM.
