A would-be robber shot a University of Chicago undergraduate Wednesday night, the school announced nearly 15 hours later. The student is the latest casualty of Chicago-wide bloodshed that has taken the lives of three UChicago affiliates over the past two years.
According to the university, the student was walking near the intersection of East 65th St. and South Stony Island Ave. around 10:30 PM when he/she sustained a non-life threatening injury. The student is now recovering at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
In its official statement, the university maintained that the crime “occurred outside the authorized patrol area for the University of Chicago Police Department” (UCPD). However, the university will attempt to work with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to investigate the crime.
In the same announcement, the university acknowledged the high crime rate of the city at large—which is drawing attention from private-sector executives—calling robberies a “persistent challenge citywide.”
CPD data show that Wednesday’s shooting is one of nearly 2,300 in Chicago so far this year. The Windy City’s homicide rate, five times that of the Big Apple, stands out among America’s largest cities.
The university did not include the incident in the following morning’s crime bulletin, which did reflect a separate armed robbery on 56th Street, and failed to officially notify the student body until 1:08 PM on Thursday.
The university’s announcement presented students a list of “safety tips”:
- Travel in groups of two or more when possible
- Avoid distractions such as cell phones or headphones
- Keep valuables out of sight
- Don’t fight to keep valuable items
