A former University of Hong Kong (HKU) student was killed in broad daylight during an attempted robbery in the US city of Chicago Tuesday.
Dennis Zheng was in the Hyde Park neighborhood just before 2 pm when a car pulled up. A man got out of the vehicle with a gun, according to NBC Chicago.
The two reportedly struggled, and the man opened fire and shot Zheng in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The 24-year-old graduated from HKU in 2019, where he studied statistics and finance and also worked as a teaching assistant.
Eddy Lam Kwok-fai, a professor at the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, told the South China Morning Post that Zheng was”extremely talented.”
Zheng then moved to the US to attend the University of Chicago, graduating with a master’s degree this summer. The shooting happened just blocks from the college campus.
“Yesterday we lost a member of our University community, and today we are mourning,” UChicago President Paul Alivisatos said in a video message Wednesday. “Our deepest sympathies are with [Zheng’s] family and loved ones.”
China’s Consulate General in Chicago published a statement urging the US to step up its protection of Chinese citizens in the wake of the tragedy.
According to the SCMP, Zheng was from the mainland Chinese province of Sichuan. Due to COVID-19, he had not seen his family in more than two years.
Friends of Zheng told media that he was a star student, admitted to a prestigious high school in Chengdu—the capital of his home province—where he was put in an elite class.
Friends of Zheng set up an online fundraiser to assist his family. Around HK$450,400 (US$57,800) had been received in donations of Friday afternoon. Separately, the Chinese American Association at Greater Chicago (CAAGC) raised more than HK$243,785 (US$31,000), exceeding its initial goal.
Chicago police are investigating the shooting.
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