Chicago killing highlights dangers for Chinese in US, and spurs call by envoy

It is the type of outcome that has become distressingly too common for Chinese students in the United States: An untimely demise as a homicide victim.

The latest incident involved a University of Chicago graduate who was shot and killed in a robbery attempt in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood on Tuesday.

The victim has been identified as Zheng Shaoxiong, 24, who was from Chengdu, Sichuan province, and also was a graduate of the University of Hong Kong.

Zheng, who also went by the name Dennis, lived in Hyde Park, where the university is situated. He received a master's degree in statistics at the prestigious university in July.

Police said Zheng was on the sidewalk in East 54th Place shortly before 2 pm when a vehicle pulled up; a gunman jumped out and demanded his valuables.

The attacker then shot Zheng in the chest, got back in the vehicle, and fled. It was not clear if any of Zheng's possessions were taken. He was left bleeding on the sidewalk. Neighbors attempted to stanch the bleeding but were unsuccessful. Zheng was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The gunman is still being sought by police.

The Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, in a statement posted to its website in Chinese on Thursday, condemned "the heinous crime of indiscriminate killing of innocent people" and called on "the relevant US authorities to find out and publicize the case as soon as possible and take practical measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, including Chinese students".

Friends gathered for a vigil for Zheng late on Wednesday. A steady stream of mourners dropped off flowers at a memorial.

"I remember him because he's always willing to help others," a young woman surnamed Xi told CBS Chicago at the vigil.

Funds are being raised to help Zheng's mother fly from China to Chicago. She has never been outside of China, and the Chinese Association of Greater Chicago is working to help expedite travel procedures.

Zheng was the third student from the University of Chicago to be killed this year.

In July, Max Lewis was fatally struck by a stray bullet while riding on the Chicago Transit Authority Green Line near 51st Street.

In January, Chinese national Fan Yiran, a 30-year-old PhD student, was shot and killed when Jason Nightengale went on a killing spree from Chicago's South Side to Evanston, in the outer urban area of the city. Fan was a student in a joint program of business and economics.

"I really wish it could be safer, because now it doesn't sound like a very good place to live in, honestly," Xi said.

Unity urged

In a video posted on Wednesday, university president Paul Alivisatos said: "Yesterday we lost a member of our university community, and today we are mourning. Shaoxiong 'Dennis' Zheng was murdered in the course of a robbery in a residential neighborhood near campus," he said. "Our deepest sympathies are with his family and loved ones. … Our community will come together soon to remember him and to honor his life."

Alivisatos added: "The violence afflicting Chicago is on the same scale as a public health crisis and demands a commensurate response. The university community and our fellow residents of Chicago's South Side－as well as citizens throughout Chicago－see a clear and urgent need to strengthen public safety."

Hyde Park has seen five murders this year. Last year, it had none.

There have been 698 homicides in Chicago this year compared with 680 in the same period last year. In 2019, the city had 442 homicides to this point, Chicago's WBBM News Radio reported. More than 3,900 people have been shot this year in the Midwestern city on Lake Michigan.

Zheng's killing was a trending topic on Chinese social media site Weibo.

"It's not easy for his parents to raise their child so well. What a pity! I hope the killer can be caught soon," posted one netizen.

Yifan Xu in Washington contributed to this story.