A North Alabama student died after plummeting from the 12th floor of his downtown apartment complex.

Bryan Christopher Tackett was hanging out with friends at an apartment on the 12th floor early Thursday morning when he left, police said. When friends went to check on him at about 2:15 a.m., they spotted Tackett's body lying on the grass outside Courtview Towers.

Florence police are investigating the death and have not ruled out any cause, detective Sgt. Orlando Bargain said.

Tackett was living in unit 1205 at the complex. He was from Biloxi, Miss., and had enrolled at North Alabama in January, police said.

Bargain said there were six people in the apartment at the time, including Tackett.

"Basically, there were a few friends hanging out together," Bargain said. "What ensued that resulted in his fall is still unclear."