Math grad student shot to death near off-campus apt.

A fifth-year Mathematics graduate student was murdered Monday night near 48th and Pine streets, Philadelphia and University Police officials said earlier this week. Al-Moez Alimohamed, 27, was shot once in the chest after five men robbed him of a small amount of money and personal belongings at about 11:20 p.m. Monday, Philadelphia Police Sergeant Paul Musi said Tuesday. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. A funeral for Alimohamed will be held today in Vancouver, Canada, where his family resides. He was a native of Pakistan. Plainclothes Philadelphia Police officers witnessed the robbery, but were not quick enough to prevent the shooting, Musi said. "It all happened in a matter of seconds," he added. "As [the officers] were going toward them, it all happened." Musi did say, though, that the police immediately arrested four of the assailants. The fifth turned himself into police Tuesday morning. Eighteen-year-old Antoine Saunders, two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds have been charged with murder, robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy and possession of an instrument of crime, according to Musi. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich called the murder "an absolute tragedy." Although University Police jurisdiction does not extent to 47th and Pine streets, Kuprevich said officers from his department responded to the crime scene and helped Philadelphia Police guard the area. Alimohamed was described as "friendly" and "outgoing" by faculty members in the Mathematics Department. "It's been really traumatic for all of us that this happened to him," said Wolfgang Ziller, who is chairperson of the Mathematics graduate group. "He was such a nice person and has been doing really well as a grad student lately." In fact, Alimohamed had received a one-year fellowship from the Institute for Research and Cognitive Science for his studies for the upcoming academic year. Former graduate group chairperson Ted Chinburg said Alimohamed was to have received his doctorate degree next June. "He was one of the most energetic graduate students I have ever met,'' Chinburg. "It's a tragedy no matter who it happens to. "In Moaz's case, he was just on the verge of making a name for himself in the field." Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel said the University has been arranging counseling for Alimohamed's friends and will organize a memorial service for members of his department and his friends at the beginning of this semester. English Professor Eric Cheyfitz, who lives at 46th and Osage streets, said the University must take added precautions in the area. "It strikes me that Penn ought to take a much more active role in gun control generally, and certainly in beefing up security in this area," he said, adding that crime is a nationwide problem. Cheyfitz said he was robbed at gunpoint on 47th Street, between Osage and Larchwood streets, last winter. Still, he said his neighborhood is tight-knit. "People care about each other and they look out for each other," he said. University President Judith Rodin said in a statement, "the safety of our students, both off-campus where this terrible incident occurred, as well as on campus is critically important to the university. "For Penn, there can be no higher priority," she added.

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