Sheriff's Office Announces Cause of Death of Prominent Conservative Professor
Police have released details about the death of a prominent conservative professor who taught at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Professor Mike Adams died inside his home last week in what the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office has described as a suicide, the Raleigh-based News & Observer reported Monday.
Adams, 55, was known for his online presence and for weighing in on current events while espousing conservative viewpoints.
The sheriff’s office said in a news release that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, WECT-TV reported.
“Detectives began their investigation in partnership with the medical examiner and it was ascertained that Mr. Adams committed suicide with a single gunshot wound to the head,” police added.
Authorities said Adams was alone at the time of his death.
Adams, who taught criminology and sociology at the school, was set to retire this coming week after a controversy surrounding his social media posts and years of expressing conservative views.
The professor was a fierce conservative who challenged what he viewed as a liberal takeover of academia.
Adams was targeted recently after he posted a flurry of tweets about his state’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The professor was particularly critical of lockdown measures instituted by Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
“This evening I ate pizza and drank beer with six guys at a six seat table top. I almost felt like a free man who was not living in the slave state of North Carolina,” he tweeted May 29.
“Massa Cooper, let my people go!” he added.
This evening I ate pizza and drank beer with six guys at a six seat table top. I almost felt like a free man who was not living in the slave state of North Carolina.
Massa Cooper, let my people go!
— Mike S. Adams (@MikeSAdams) May 29, 2020
Adams constantly challenged liberal viewpoints on social media:
Rioters don’t care about social issues. They are thugs looking for an opportunity to break the law with impunity.
— Mike S. Adams (@MikeSAdams) May 29, 2020
The violent outrage of white liberals taking to the streets is brought to you by your local university. None of this would be possible without the encouragement of academic extremists who have hijacked the system of higher education.
— Mike S. Adams (@MikeSAdams) June 1, 2020
Abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being.
— Mike S. Adams (@MikeSAdams) June 4, 2020
The 55-year-old soon found himself the target of a campaign to have him removed from his position.
The university attempted to sever his employment and deny him tenure. But he won a legal battle against the school, which agreed to pay him a sum of $504,702.76 if he would retire on Aug. 1.
UNC Wilmington Chancellor Jose Sartarelli said in a June statement that the school was parting ways with Adams.
“Over the past several weeks, many of you have inquired about the status of a UNCW faculty member, Dr. Mike Adams, in light of the public attention generated by comments he made on his personal social media channels,” Sartarelli said.
“We can now share the update that after a discussion with Chancellor Sartarelli, Dr. Adams has decided to retire from UNCW, effective August 1, 2020. We will have no further comment on this matter at this time, but we plan to share an update later this week regarding how we hope to move forward as a university community.”
On Thursday, a friend of Adams visited his home out of concern after not hearing from him for a number of days and phoned police, saying that Adams had been acting in an “erratic” manner.
The friend told police Adams had been “under a lot of stress,” according to The News & Observer.
Adams was honored by those who knew him last week as a tireless defender of conservative causes, especially for his stances against abortion and in favor of free speech.
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