Recent law grad discovered dead in Delaware

New Castle County police are still investigating the death of Shazim Uppal, a 27-year-old Temple School of Law graduate who earned his degree in July.

Officers found Uppal in a parked sedan on the 100 block of Saint Claire Drive in Hockessin, Delaware. He had sustained gunshot wounds to the upper torso, and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Uppal was last seen driving a 2007 black Audi A8 Sunday between 10 and 11 p.m., investigators said. As of Wednesday afternoon, no new information about the investigation was available.

Craig Green, who taught Uppal in two law classes during his time at Temple, said he was saddened by the news.

“I had been meeting with him in the summer,” Green said. “He was preparing very hard for the New Jersey and Pennsylvania law board exams … it was a very tragic thing to hear about.”

He added that he last worked with Uppal in a guided research class during the summer, and last saw him after the Ramadan holiday.

“He was hard-working,” Green said. “He was a really kind person, had a gentle demeanor, and was very excited about finishing law school. He had a very bright future ahead of him, and we won’t see that come to fruition.”

“I was excited about seeing him in October after he passed the bar, which would’ve been the next time I would have seen him,” he added.

Tipsters, call the New Castle County Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit at 302-395-8110 or visit www.nccpd.com  

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@temple.edu or on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.