Earl Warren College junior Kunal Patel ended his own life with a self-inflicted shotgun wound in the early afternoon on Oct. 4, friends said.

Patel’s housemates and a friend discovered his body in the garage of their shared Mira Mesa home shortly after 10 p.m. of the same day, nearly 10 hours after police believe he committed suicide, according to housemate and Warren junior Scott James.

“All members of the Warren College administration are terribly saddened by the death of Kunal Patel,” Warren Provost Steven Adler said. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

Warren junior Jessica Wu, Patel’s close friend, said the two spoke at least once a day and spent the summer together. She said she became concerned after she did not hear from Patel despite his promise the day before to call her.

Patel appeared happy to others prior to his death and was known at the college as an outgoing person who often sat at a table in Warren and attempted to befriend anyone who passed by, Wu said.

“To the rest of the world, everyone just thought he was this big, happy person,” Wu said. “He was just the person who planned the parties. He wasn’t as happy as he seemed. No one took a second and just wondered, ‘Hey, how could someone be this happy and giving [all the time]?’”

Though they knew that Patel was upset over family problems, his roommates did not know the degree of his despair, James said. He appeared emotionally stable during conversations the night before his death and spent the evening playing a game of poker with friends.

“We knew he had some family issues, but everyone does,” James said. “We didn’t know it was weighing down on him. We knew he had some problems, but nothing that we would suspect he would do anything like this.”

Patel’s other housemate, Warren junior Daniel Sandor, originally returned to the house around 5 p.m. When he did not find Patel home, he proceeded to watch television and study, according to James. Another friend came over later in the evening. The three became worried after noticing Patel’s car parked outside and began to look around the house, eventually coming to the garage, which normally remains unused.

Police believe that Patel purchased the shotgun one or two weeks prior to his death, James said.

“We had no idea,” he said. “We wouldn’t allow a firearm in the house.”

San Diego Police Department spokesman Dave Cohen was not available to provide further details.

For close friends and for the entire Warren community, Patel’s death has left a large void, Wu said.

“I think almost everyone in Warren knew him,” she said. “He was a very big people person. He was just a very selfless person who spent a lot of his time taking care of other people. He cheered a lot of people up and he meant a lot to a lot of people. He really liked bringing people together.”

During the summer, Wu said, Patel came to the campus even though he had no classes to attend so he could interact with new students enrolled at the university.

Wu and James accompanied more than 20 other friends to attend Patel’s funeral on Oct. 9 in Glendale, Calif.

Warren administrators are also planning a campus memorial, Adler said. The university’s Psychological and Counseling Services will provide free emotional counseling for students.