Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer

By Shannon McDonald

Brien Gardiner, CEO of Philadelphia Academy Charter School, was found dead Wednesday after an apparent suicide.

Gardiner, who founded the school in 1999 and Northwood Academy Charter in 2005, was under investigation for his management of the first school. The 64-year-old was found dead around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of Bethayres Train Station, following a single gunshot wound that police said was self-inflicted.

The investigation into Gardiners alleged mismanagment of the school will continue. Today, the Inquirer ran commentary by Pat McNally, NEastPhilly.com’s regular columnist who writes The Parent Trap.