UChicago Chinese student killed in shooting rampage in Chicago

A Chinese student studying at the University of Chicago (UChicago) was killed in a shooting rampage that happened in Chicago on Saturday, Xinhua learned from the Chinese consulate in Chicago on Monday (Jan. 11).

The Chinese consulate contacted the student's relatives in China immediately after the incident and promised to offer consular assistance. It urged local police and authorities concerned to adopt practical measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens including Chinese students in the United States.

The suspect, identified by Chicago police Superintendent David Brown as 32-year-old Jason Nightengale, was shot dead during a shootout with Evanston police after a series of shootings that ran from South Chicago to North Chicago, killing three, including the Chinese student, and critically wounding four others. No officers were injured.

The suspect shot "randomly" and "indiscriminately", the police told the Chinese consulate.

UChicago has issued a notice expressing condolences and has been in contact with the victim's relatives.

Shootings and murders in Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, jumped up by more than 50 percent in 2020 from the previous year. According to the final crime number released by Chicago police, there were 769 murders in 2020, up from 495 in 2019; and 3,261 shootings in 2020, up from 2,140 in 2019. The number of shooting victims climbed from 2,598 in 2019 to 4,033 in 2020.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)