A "thriving" Temple University student months away from graduating has been gunned down near the school's Philadelphia campus.

       Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior, was shot Sunday afternoon, the university said. Collington was set to graduate this spring.

       WPVI

       Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior at Temple University, was shot and killed in Philadelphia on Nov. 28, 2021.

       Charlie Leone, the university's executive director of Public Safety, called him "a bright and thriving political science student" who "already was succeeding in his field, interning as a Democracy Fellow with the city."

       "This is a true tragedy in every sense of the word," Leone said in a statement Sunday.

       MORE: Philadelphia reaches 500 homicides for 1st time since 1990

       Collington's slaying "further highlights the senseless gun violence that continues to grip the city of Philadelphia," Leone said.

       WPVI

       Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior at Temple University, was shot and killed in Philadelphia on Nov. 28, 2021.

       "Senior university officials spoke with [Philadelphia] Mayor [Jim] Kenney’s office today and we are intensifying our work with the city, community groups and the Philadelphia Police Department to further enhance safety in and around the Temple community," he said. "We will continue to communicate regarding these efforts and define our steps toward a solution to this terrible trend."

       Last week Philadelphia reached 500 homicides for the year, tying the record set in 1990 for the sixth-largest city in the country.

       MORE: Can therapy help break the cycle of gun violence?

       Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement, "We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners and other stakeholders to get ahead of the violent crime that is plaguing our beautiful communities. We remain committed to proactively patrolling neighborhoods and encourage community members to continue to work alongside the police."

       WPVI

       Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior at Temple University, was shot and killed in Philadelphia on Nov. 28, 2021.

       Outlaw told ABC News chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas earlier this month that Philadelphia has a gun culture problem.

       "We're on pace to get 6,000 illegal crime guns off the street this year; we've made a record number of arrests for carrying guns illegally," she said. "We're dealing with a culture here, there's a culture of violence that we are trying to break through."