CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A Northwestern University graduate student was struck and killed by a stray bullet Sunday night in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the North Side.
About 8:25 p.m., 25-year-old Shane Colombo was walking in the 7600 block of North Clark when he was caught in crossfire between two people, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Colombo was struck in his abdomen and was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, where was pronounced dead at 9:02 p.m., authorities said. He was from Sun City, California.
Colombo was planning to join Northwestern’s psychology Ph.D. program as an incoming student this fall, according to a statement from university officials. He received a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University and was in the process of moving to Chicago from New York, where he was a researcher at Columbia University’s Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab.
“Our hearts and minds are with Shane’s loved ones during this difficult time,” Teresa K. Woodruff, dean of The Graduate School, and Adrian Randolph, dean of Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, wrote in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to Shane’s partner, Vincent, and all of his family members and friends.”
The university made counseling services available to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty and staff on Monday.
Area North detectives were conducting a homicide investigation.