Friends and members of the community gathered Wednesday night to light candles, leave flowers and leave notes in an area of Hyde Park where a University of Chicago student was killed in a robbery.
What happened: Shaoxiong "Dennis", a 24-year-old man, was walking on the sidewalk at 900 Block East 54th Place on Tuesday when the attempted robbery took place, CBS Chicago reported.
Witnesses reported seeing a man wearing a mask and a black sweatshirt as he walked towards Zheng. According to Chicago Tribune, there was a brief struggle before the suspect shot Zheng in his chest.
In a dark-colored sportscar, the suspect fled immediately. The gunman did not appear to have taken anything from Zheng during this incident.
Chicago Tribune was told by a doctor who requested anonymity that he tried to give first aid to Zheng but was "a few minutes late". It all happened very quickly. He said that he did about 30 chest compressions and that the paramedics were already there.
Zheng was taken by emergency responders to the University of Chicago Medical Center. There, he was declared dead at 2:13 p.m. The university issued a statement Tuesday.
According to the university, it had spoken with Lori Lightfoot (Chicago Police Supt. David Brown and other members from the mayor's office spoke out about recent violence in the community.
To help Zheng and his family travel from China, the Chinese American Association at Greater Chicago created a GoFundMe campaign. Although the crowdfunding campaign is aiming for $25,000, it has already raised over $38,000 by this point.
The aftermath: On Wednesday, community members held a vigil at the spot where Zheng was killed. Students also reflect on the terrible event that caused fear among residents of Hyde Park.
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A student named Xi said that he is a person she remembers because he was always willing to help others. "I feel connected to him because we are both Chinese, and I understand how difficult it must be for his family. It's hard to imagine what my parents would do if I called them saying, "Your daughter has been ...'. I feel really sad and connected."
Mei Wang, the director of the statistics master’s program, described Zheng to be a "motivated and independent student who is intellectually curious". In July, he received his master's in statistics.
Wang said that he aspired "to be a data scientist who could resolve important problems facing our society and could help people to help others," Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Professor Dan Nicolae stated that the victim was "not only a promising scholar, but also a wonderful individual, always willing to help others students." All who knew him will miss him.
Chicago Sun-Times: "We believe this is really, really likely the worst year for U of Chicago," said a woman. "We feel that we must do something. It is impossible to let it go on forever.
According to police data, Hyde Park saw five murders and at least 16 shooting incidents this year.
Roseanna Ander, executive Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab said that the five murders at Hyde Park this year were shocking and warrant action. However, we must not forget that many other neighborhoods in Chicago suffer more homicides and shootings every year.
According to NBC Chicago, 336 homicides were reported in the city in the first half 2021. This is three more than in 2020 and 33% higher than the 252 cases in 2019. Through June 28, there were 1,892 shootings, which was also the highest number since the beginning of 2019.
Featured Image University of Chicago via University of Chicago, CBS Chicago (right),
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