(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — An 18-year-old suspect has been charged in the fatal shooting of a University of Chicago graduate in Hyde Park.
Alton Spann has been charged with first-degree murder in Tuesday afternoon's shooting of Shaoxiong "Dennis" Zheng near 54th Place and Ellis during an apparent robbery.
Spann also faces charges of armed robbery and unlawful use of a weapon, Police Supt. David Brown announced Friday evening.
Witnesses told officers Zheng appeared to struggle with the robber and a shot went off. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center down the street, where he was pronounced dead, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Zheng graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 2019 and got his master’s in statistics at the University of Chicago this past summer, the paper reported.
The highly publicized murder was part of a surge of gun violence around the U Chicago campus.
University security leaders say they're working with police to increase security and install temporary pod cameras around Hyde Park.
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