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CHICAGO
Mutahir Rauf, 23, a Loyola University student from Pakistan was shot to death in the 1200 block of West Albion Avenue, a block from the university’s campus, during an attempted robbery about 7:50 p.m., Dec. 5. Two attackers, one of whom pulled out a gun, had tried to extort money from Rauf and his brother in the presence of other pedestrians. Rauf had grabbed the weapon, believing it to be a toy, which fired in the ensuing struggle. These details from the police dept. have been reported extensively in The Chicago Tribune.
Rauf was fatally shot in the chest and head, while his brother was not injured. The two assailants, who have yet to be brought into custody, fled the scene. The men are described by authorities to be between 18 to 20 years old and were wearing black hoodies and ski mask.
Rauf’s parents were on the way to Chicago from Pakistan Dec. 7, family friend Ahmed Rehab told the Tribune. Rauf graduated with a double bachelor’s degree in psychology and science from Northwestern University and was pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree in pre-medicine at Loyola.
A memorial has been growing at the bloodstained site since Dec. 7, where about 100 friends and fellow students gathered in the afternoon to remember Rauf and condemn violence in Chicago and beyond. A Loyola flag covered in roses and candles lies on the sidewalk.
“We come here as a community to reclaim this space,” the Tribune quotes Marcos Gonzales, a graduate student who led a prayer for Rauf, saying. “We stand here as a community of hope, as a community of love.”
The gathering began after morning Mass at Madonna della Strada Chapel on Loyola campus, where Rev. Tom Tobin said, “There are all kinds of people in our society that die because of violence in very different ways.” Parishioners prayed for Rauf and for an end to violence on Chicago’s streets.
While recalling Rauf as a decent, respectful and bright student, his friends and acquaintances also expressed concern regarding safety around the campus in this West Rogers Park neighborhood. Loyola students have been asked to gather at the Mundelein Center Auditorium at 3 p.m. Dec. 10, to remember Rauf and pray for nonviolence.
