A 20-year-old university student died over the weekend after being struck in the neck by a stray bullet while riding on Chicago public transit.
Max Lewis was commuting home from his internship on Thursday evening when the round burst through the train’s window and entered the back of his neck. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on Sunday morning, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The University of Chicago junior was not the intended target, police said, and no suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting.
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Friends of Lewis, who studied economics and computer science, described him as a social yet serious student who “loved the grind” of work and school.
He was not required to go into the office for his internship at a downtown Chicago investment firm but “loved getting to know as many people as he could,” said Zach Cogan, his best friend.
“He was so incredibly caring, loyal, and genuine,” Cogan said.
The two were roommates and part of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity at the University of Chicago that Lewis was president of.
“He loved working hard for other people because he was so damn selfless. And he never wanted people to thank him for what he did,” Cogan added.
Lewis also led Promontory Investment Research, which helps students research and write reports on their findings.
“He was a ball of light. Max would bring his energy like he was in person,” said friend Victoria Gin, referring to the remote meetings the student group conducted during the pandemic. “He would give 120%, and you felt that through the screen.”
The university remembered Lewis as a “talented student” who “will be greatly missed.”
“The University of Chicago community is devastated by the loss of Max Solomon Lewis, an undergraduate student who has passed away from injuries related to being shot while sitting in an off-campus Chicago Transit Authority elevated train on Thursday, July 1,” the university said in a statement. “Our deepest sympathies are with Max’s family, friends, and all who knew him. He was a talented student and beloved individual who will be greatly missed.”
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Lewis was among several victims shot in Chicago over the last week. A hundred people were shot between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday, 18 of whom died, police announced Tuesday.
Chicago had suffered 326 homicides as of June 27, according to the city’s most recent weekly crime report. That number is a 1% year-to-date increase over 2020 and a 35% year-to-date increase over 2019.
