ROGERS PARK — A Loyola University student was shot and killed near campus Friday night during a robbery after mistakenly thinking the stickup gun was a toy and reaching for it, Ald. Joe Moore said.
"Tragically, a Loyola Student from Pakistan was killed in an attempted robbery on the 1300 block of Albion this evening," Moore wrote on EveryBlock. "He was walking with his brother when an unknown assailant pulled a gun and ordered them to turn over their money. The young victim allegedly believed the gun was a toy and reached for it. During the scuffle, the gun went off and the assailant fled. I'm afraid that is all the information I have at this point."
The student was identified as Mutahir Rauf, 23, of the 1400 block of West Pratt Boulevard. He was pronounced dead at 8:08 p.m. on the scene, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Friends said Rauf was a pre-med student who hailed from Brooklyn, New York.
Police said Rauf and another were walking about 7:50 p.m. in the 1200 block of West Albion Avenue when two others approached, pulled a gun and demanded their belongings. The scene is about a block from campus
Then there was a "struggle for the weapon," said Officer Thomas Sweeney, a police spokesman.
No one is in custody.
The 23-year-old was shot in the chest and head and was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.
Police secured the scene Friday night at the intersection of Albion and Lakewood avenues just west of the "L" tracks, directing passersby to surrounding streets. A body was covered with a white sheet.
Loyola University police also responded to the scene.
Thomas Murray, the university's chief of police, encouraged witnesses to come forward with information about the shooting, according to a notice on the university's website.
Shots fired at Albion and Lakewood and an individual was killed. If you know anything, please contact 9-1-1. http://t.co/kphF4Q3aXM #LUC
— Loyola Chicago (@LoyolaChicago) December 6, 2014A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was in his home when he heard gunfire. He said when he went outside he saw a man screaming near a lifeless body.
Jane Neufeld, Loyola's vice president for student development, said in a statement that the victim was a Loyola student.
"The Chicago Police Department is working to contact the student’s family, so we are unable to share any further information at this time," Neufeld said. "Once the family has been reached, we will share more information about the student, as well as any service details."
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